Pre-Operative SARS CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction: A conundrum in surgical decision making

Abstract

Pre-operative testing for COVID-19 disease is indispensable as there is a high chance of transmission from patient to healthcare workers. RAT has the advantage of quick results and may play a role in case of emergency procedures. However, it is prudent to perform the more sensitive real-time RT-PCR before any elective, non-emergency procedures or surgeries to avoid any undue risk to the healthcare team.