Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on emergency and elective surgery. A retrospective observational analysis in Apulia, southern Italy.

Introduction: In Italy, at the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic, only emergency and life-saving elective surgical procedures were allowed with obvious limitations in terms of numbers of operable cases. The aim of our study is to evaluate the performance of surgical activities by Apulian healthcare facilities (Southern Italy) under the pandemic emergency pressure. Methods: The surgical procedures in study were identified via the Apulian regional archive of hospital discharge forms. We used the ICD9 codes in order to define the elective and urgency surgeries in analysis, and we extended our search to all procedures performed from 2019 to 2021. Results: The number of all procedures decreased from 2019 to 2020; the reduction was higher for elective surgery (-43.7%) than urgency surgery (-15.5%). In 2021, an increase compared to 2020 was recorded for all procedures; nevertheless, elective surgeries registered a further slightly decrease compared to 2019 (-12.4%), while a slightly increase was observed for urgency surgeries (+3.5%). No particular variation was observed considering sex and age at surgery of the patients, and days of hospitalization from 2019 to 2021. Conclusions: The impact of COVID19 on Apulian regional health system has been extremely shocked and has required the implementation of strategies aimed at containing the infection and guaranteeing health services as far as possible. A new paradigm of hospital care for SARS-COV-2 patients in the post-emergency phase in Italy is needed, in order to optimize the resources available and to guarantee high standards of quality and efficiency for citizens.

Urgent care frequency of the assessment carried out in a School Clinic of a Dental College of Minas Gerais

To evaluate the frequency of dental emergencies and specifications, along with the patient's profile attended at the Clinical School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Juiz de Fora Health (Supreme). We selected 152 medical records of clinical dental school of Juiz de Fora University Hospital - MG were selected and assessed the patient's profile and the classification of emergency cases. It was found that 57.2% of the patients were female and 42.7% male. The age of these patients is on average 44 years and the most frequent causes of visits were: dental prosthesis, endodontic and dental trauma. It can be conclude that some of the diseases found in dental emergencies are likely to be prevented or identified early on. Patients with pain are part of most attending emergency care services. In order to control the emergency care and improve the solvability, preventive actions should be developed, promoting a preventive rather than curative health.

Incidencia de consultas por fracturas maxilofaciales en un servicio de urgencias odontológicas del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires / Incidence of consultations for maxillofacial fractures in a dental emergency department in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires

Objetivo: Describir la incidencia, la causa, el patrón y el tratamiento de fracturas maxilofaciales en sujetos que solici- taron atención en un Servicio de Urgencias Odontológicas del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. Materiales y métodos: Se analizaron las historias clíni- cas de los individuos que concurrieron al Servicio de Urgencias y Orientación de Pacientes de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (SUyOP) en el período compren- dido entre marzo de 2018 y diciembre de 2019. Se registró la fre- cuencia de consultas vinculadas con diagnóstico de algún tipo de fractura del esqueleto maxilofacial y en el caso de estos pacien- tes, se registraron sexo, edad, etiología, ubicación y tratamiento. Resultados: Durante el periodo evaluado asistieron al SUyOP un total de 13.919 pacientes por algún tipo de urgen- cia odontológica, entre los cuales 47 (0,33%) se presentaron con traumatismos en la región bucomaxilofacial; 39 fueron del sexo masculino (83%). En total fueron diagnosticadas 66 frac- turas. La edad media se extendió entre los 30 y los 51 años. Las fracturas se encontraron con mayor frecuencia en la mandíbu- la (95,45%). La agresión interpersonal fue la principal causa (53,19%). El tratamiento realizado con mayor frecuencia fue el bloqueo intermaxilar en el 57,44% de los pacientes. Conclusión: Las fracturas de maxilar inferior fueron las que se registraron con mayor frecuencia. Si bien estas fracturas no ponen en riesgo la vida del paciente, la falla en el diagnóstico y el tratamiento apropiados puede derivar en la pérdida de fun- ciones del sistema estomatognático, y desarrollar deformidades secundarias que requieren de un tratamiento más complejo (AU)

Aim: To describe the incidence, etiology, pattern and treat- ment of maxillofacial fractures in a dental emergency department of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. Materials and methods: A study was conducted, re- cording sex, age, etiology, location and treatment of maxillofa- cial fractures in patients who visited the Emergency and Patient Orientation Service of the School of Dentistry of the University of Buenos Aires (SUyOP) from March 2018 to December 2019. Data were obtained from dental medical records. Results: During the evaluated period, a total 13,919 pa- tients visited the SUyOP for dental emergencies, of whom 47 (0.33%) presented with trauma in the oral-maxillofacial region, and 39 were male (83%). Age range was 30 to 51 years. Over- all, 66 fractures were diagnosed. Fractures were most frequent in the mandible (95.45%). Interpersonal aggression was the most prevalent cause (53.19%). The most frequent treatment was inter- maxillary fixation, which was performed in 57.44% of the cases. Conclusion: Fractures of the lower jaw were the most fre- quently reported. Although these fractures are not life-threaten- ing, failure to diagnose and treat them properly can lead to loss of function of the stomatognathic system and development of sec- ondary deformities requiring more complex treatment (AU)

Association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality in emergency thoracic aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether there is an association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality in emergency thoracic aortic surgery. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using a national clinical database in Japan was conducted. Patients who underwent emergency thoracic aortic surgery from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, were included. Patients with type B dissection were excluded. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between prehospital transfer distance and surgical mortality. In addition, an instrumental variable analysis was performed to address unmeasured confounding. RESULTS: A total of 12,004 patients underwent emergency thoracic aortic surgeries at 495 hospitals. Surgical mortality was 13.8%. The risk-adjusted mortality odds ratio for standardized distance (mean 12.8 km, standard deviation 15.2 km) was 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-1.01; P = .09). Instrumental variable analysis did not reveal a significant association between transfer distance and surgical mortality as well. CONCLUSIONS: No significant association was found between surgical mortality and prehospital transfer distance in emergency thoracic aortic surgery cases. Suspected cases of acute thoracic aortic syndrome may be transferred safely to distant high-volume hospitals.

General surgeon involvement in the care of patients designated with an American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-endorsed ICD-10-CM emergency general surgery diagnosis code in Wisconsin.

BACKGROUND: The current national burden of emergency general surgery (EGS) illnesses and the extent of surgeon involvement in the care of these patients remain largely unknown. To inform needs assessments, research, and education, we sought to: (1) translate previously developed International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes representing EGS conditions to ICD 10th Revision, CM (ICD-10-CM) codes and (2) determine the national burden of and assess surgeon involvement across EGS conditions. METHODS: We converted ICD-9-CM codes to candidate ICD-10-CM codes using General Equivalence Mappings then iteratively refined the code list. We used National Inpatient Sample 2016 to 2017 data to develop a national estimate of the burden of EGS disease. To evaluate surgeon involvement, using Wisconsin Hospital Association discharge data (January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018), we selected adult urgent/emergent encounters with an EGS condition as the principal diagnosis. Surgeon involvement was defined as a surgeon being either the attending provider or procedural physician. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighty-five ICD-9-CM codes mapped to 1,696 ICD-10-CM codes. The final list contained 985 ICD-10-CM codes. Nationally, there were 2,977,843 adult patient encounters with an ICD-10-CM EGS diagnosis. Of 94,903 EGS patients in the Wisconsin Hospital Association data set, most encounters were inpatient as compared with observation (75,878 [80.0%] vs. 19,025 [20.0%]). There were 57,780 patients (60.9%) that underwent any procedure. Among all Wisconsin EGS patients, most had no surgeon involvement (64.9% [n = 61,616]). Of the seven most common EGS diagnoses, surgeon involvement was highest for appendicitis (96.0%) and biliary tract disease (77.1%). For the other five most common conditions (skin/soft tissue infections, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, intestinal obstruction/ileus, pancreatitis, diverticular disease), surgeons were involved in roughly 20% of patient care episodes. CONCLUSION: Surgeon involvement for EGS conditions ranges from highly likely (appendicitis) to relatively unlikely (skin/soft tissue infections). The wide range in surgeon involvement underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in the care of EGS patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/epidemiological, Level III.

A surgical needs assessment for airway rapid responses: A retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Airway rapid response (ARR) teams can be compiled of anesthesiologists, intensivists, otolaryngologists, general and thoracic surgeons, respiratory therapists, and nurses. The optimal composition of an ARR team is unknown but considered to be resource intensive. We sought to determine the type of technical procedures performed during an ARR activation to inform team composition. METHODS: A large urban quaternary academic medical center retrospective review (2016-2019) of adult ARR patients was performed. Analysis included ARR demographics, patient characteristics, characteristics of preexisting tracheostomies, incidence of concomitant conditions, and procedures completed during an ARR event. RESULTS: A total of 345 ARR patients with a median age of 60 years (interquartile range, 47-69 years) and a median time to ARR conclusion of 28 minutes (interquartile range, 14-47 minutes) were included. About 41.7% of the ARR had a preexisting tracheostomy. Overall, there were 130 procedures completed that can be performed by a general surgeon in addition to the 122 difficult intubations. These procedures included recannulation of a tracheostomy, operative intervention, new emergent tracheostomy or cricothyroidotomy, thoracostomy tube placement, initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and pericardiocentesis. CONCLUSION: Highly technical procedures are common during an ARR, including procedures related to tracheostomies. Surgeons possess a comprehensive skill set that is unique and comprehensive with respect to airway emergencies. This distinctive skill set creates an important role within the ARR team to perform these urgent technical procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic/prognostic, level III.

Emergency General Surgery Procedures and Cost of Care for Older Adults in the State of Maryland.

BACKGROUND: Older adults (OAs) ≥ 65 years of age, representing the fastest growing segment in the United States, are anticipated to require a greater percentage of emergency general surgery procedures (EGSPs) with an associated increase in health care costs. The aims of this study were to identify the frequency of EGSP and charges incurred by OA compared to their younger counterparts in the state of Maryland. METHODS: A retrospective review of the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission from 2009 to 2018 was undertaken. Patients undergoing urgent or emergent ESGP were divided into 2 groups (18-64 years and ≥65 years). Data collected included demographics, APR-severity of illness (SOI), APR-risk of mortality (ROM), the EGSP (partial colectomy [PC], small bowel resection [SBR], cholecystectomy, operative management of peptic ulcer disease, lysis of adhesions, appendectomy, and laparotomy), length of stay (LOS), and hospital charges. P-values (P < .05) were significant. RESULTS: Of the 181,283 patients included in the study, 55,401 (38.1%) were ≥65 years of age. Older adults presented with greater APR-SOI (major 37.7% vs 21.3%, extreme 5.2% vs 9.3%), greater APR-ROM (major 25.3% vs 8.7%, extreme 22.3% vs 5.3%), underwent PC (24.5% vs 10.9%) and SBR (12.8% vs 7.0%) more frequently, and incurred significantly higher median hospital charges for every EGSP, consistently between 2009 and 2018 due to increased LOS and complications when compared to those ≤65 years of age. CONCLUSION: These findings stress the need for validated frailty indices and quality improvement initiatives focused on the care of OAs in emergency general surgery to maximize outcomes and optimize cost.

Perfil dos atendimentos pré-hospitalares em serviço de atendimento móvel de urgência no nordeste do Brasil / Perfil de la atención prehospitalaria en servicio de atención móvil de urgencia en el nordeste de Brasil / Profile of pre-hospital care in a mobile emergency care service in northeast Brazil

RESUMO Objetivo: Descrever o perfil epidemiológico dos atendimentos pré-hospitalares realizados por um serviço móvel de emergência no município de Picos, Piauí, Brasil. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal, documental e retrospectivo com abordagem quantitativa, realizado nos meses de abril e maio de 2020. Foram analisados 4.220 registros com base nos atendimentos realizados pelo Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência às ocorrências que aconteceram no período de janeiro de 2019 a março de 2020. Os dados foram coletados das fichas de atendimento individuais da instituição, organizados por meio de um formulário e analisados à luz da estatística descritiva. Resultados: Foi observada frequência de ocorrências ligeiramente maior em indivíduos do sexo masculino (50,3%), predominância das faixas etárias de 20 a 30 anos (30,7%) e maior de 60 anos (34,2%), atendimentos realizados pela Unidade de Suporte Básico (65,9%). As ocorrências traumáticas provenientes de acidentes de transporte (68,5%) e as clínicas cardiológicas (18%) se apresentaram em maior percentual em relação às demais. As ocorrências traumáticas foram mais frequentes no período de outubro a dezembro e as clínicas nos meses de fevereiro e março. Conclusão: O perfil epidemiológico dos atendimentos corresponde à população do gênero masculino e faixa etária maior ou igual a 60 anos. Predominaram as ocorrências de natureza clínica, principalmente cardiológicas.

RESUMEN Objetivo: describir el perfil epidemiológico de la atención prehospitalaria realizada por un servicio de atención móvil de urgencia en el municipio de Picos, Piauí, Brasil. Métodos: se trata de un estudio transversal, documental y retrospectivo con enfoque cuantitativo, realizado en los meses de abril y mayo de 2020. Se analizaron 4.220 registros con base en las atenciones realizadas por el Servicio de Atención Móvil de Urgencia a los casos que ocurrieron en el período de enero de 2019 a marzo de 2020. Los datos fueron recolectados de las fichas de atención individuales de la institución, organizados por medio de un formulario y analizados a la luz de la estadística descriptiva. Resultados: fue observada frecuencia de casos ligeramente mayor en individuos del sexo masculino (50,3%), predominancia de las franjas etarias de 20 a 30 años (30,7%) y mayor de 60 años (34,2%), atenciones realizadas por la Unidad de Soporte Básico (65,9%). Los incidentes traumáticos provenientes de accidentes de transporte (68,5%) y las clínicas cardiológicas (18%) se presentaron en mayor porcentaje con relación a los demás. Los incidentes traumáticos fueron más frecuentes en el período de octubre a diciembre y las clínicas en los meses de febrero y marzo. Conclusión: el perfil epidemiológico de las atenciones corresponde a la población del género masculino y franja etaria mayor o igual a 60 años. Predominaron los incidentes de naturaleza clínica, principalmente cardiológicas.

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of pre-hospital care performed by a mobile emergency service in the municipality of Picos, Piauí, Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, documentary and retrospective study with a quantitative approach, conducted in April and May 2020. We analyzed 4,220 records based on the visits performed by the Mobile Emergency Care Service to the occurrences that occurred between January 2019 and March 2020. Data were collected from the institution's individual care forms, organized through a form and analyzed in the light of descriptive statistics. Results: A slightly higher frequency of occurrences was observed in males (50.3%), predominance of the age groups from 20 to 30 years (30.7%) and higher than 60 years (34.2%), attendances performed by the Basic Support Unit (65.9%). Traumatic occurrences resulting from traffic accidents (68.5%) and cardiologic clinics (18%) were higher in percentage in relation to the other ones. Traumatic occurrences were more frequent from October to December and clinics in February and March. Conclusion: The epidemiological profile of the visits corresponds to the male population and age group greater than or equal to 60 years. Occurrences of a clinical nature, especially cardiac, predominated.

COVID-19: quais motivos levaram os pacientes a procurarem pronto atendimento oftalmológico durante a pandemia? / COVID-19: what reasons led patients to seek emergency care during the pandemic?

RESUMO Objetivo Analisar o motivo pelo qual pacientes procuraram o pronto atendimento oftalmológico durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Métodos Estudo de corte transversal, retrospectivo, realizado a partir da análise de prontuários de pacientes atendidos em um pronto atendimento oftalmológico de um serviço privado da cidade de Santos (SP) entre 11 de março de 2020 e 16 de julho de 2020. Resultados Foram atendidos 386 pacientes no período analisado. A maior parte das consultas (60,36%) deu-se a pessoas do sexo feminino. Pessoas da faixa etária entre 19 e 59 anos foram as que mais procuraram o pronto atendimento (57,25%). Ao se considerar a profissão desses pacientes, estudantes e aposentados apresentaram a mesma proporção (10,26%) seguidos de pessoas do lar (6,99%). Do total de casos atendidos, 59 pacientes foram diagnosticados com conjuntivite, enquanto 58 tiveram diagnóstico de traumatismo de olho e órbita. Conclusão No período analisado, o pronto atendimento oftalmológico recebeu, predominantemente, mulheres na faixa etária entre 19 e 59 anos, e os diagnósticos mais frequentes foram de conjuntivite e trauma.

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the reason why patients sought emergency eye care during the pandemic of COVID-19. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study based on the analysis of medical records of patients seen at an ophthalmology emergency department of a private service in the city of Santos (SP) between March 11, 2020 and July 16, 2020. Results A total of 386 patients were seen in the analyzed period. Most appointments (60.36%) were attended by women. People between 19 and 59 years old were the ones who most sought the emergency room (57.25%). When considering the profession of these patients, students and retired people presented the same proportion (10.26%), followed by housewives (6.99%). Of the total number of cases seen, 59 patients were diagnosed with conjunctivitis, while 58 were diagnosed with eye and orbit trauma. Conclusion In the analyzed period, the ophthalmology emergency care predominantly received women in the age group between 19 and 59 years old, and the most frequent diagnoses were conjunctivitis and trauma.

Impacto de la pandemia en las consultas del Servicio de Emergencia Pediátrica del Hospital Policial, períodos 14/03/2019 a 14/07/2019 y 14/03/2020 a 14/07/2020 / Impact of the pandemic at the Emergency Ward of the Police Pediatric Hospital (from march 13th 2019 to july 14th 2019 and from march 14th 2020 to july 14th 2020) / O impacto da pandemia no Serviço de Emergência Pediátrica do Hospital Polícial 14/03/2019 a 14/07/2019 e 14/03/2020 a 14/07/2020

Introducción: la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 el 11 de marzo de 2020.En Uruguay se declaró estado de emergencia sanitaria y desde el 13 de marzo de 2020 se adoptaron medidas para evitar la propagación del virus, incluyendo reducción de la movilidad. Esto condicionó, entre otras cosas, la disminución de la concurrencia a centros de salud incluidas las consultas en emergencia pediátrica. Objetivo: describir las características de las consultas en el Servicio de Emergencia del Hospital Policial durante el período 14/3/2020-14/07/2020 en el contexto epidemiológico y compararla con el mismo período del 2019. Metodología: se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo retrospectivo. Período considerado: desde el 14 de marzo al 14 de julio de 2019 y 2020. Se incluyeron todos los niños y adolescentes de 0 a 14 años inclusive que consultaron en el Servicio de Emergencia del Hospital Policial. Se consideraron variables epidemiológicas, clínicas y evolutivas. Fuente de datos: historias clínicas. Análisis estadístico: distribución de frecuencias, medidas de resumen y significancia. Resultados: la frecuencia absoluta de consultas en el período analizado fue de 2.765 en 2019 y de 576 en 2020. Se identificó 79% de reducción de consultas en 2020 con respecto a 2019. Las infecciones respiratorias disminuyeron un 53%; no así las crisis broncoobstructivas. Por otro lado, se vio un aumento de 87,5% en las lesiones por traumatismos/heridas cortantes. Se destaca el aumento de 427% de las consultas por escabiosis. No se identificó aumento significativo en las consultas por maltrato/abuso. Conclusiones: las consultas en emergencia pediátrica disminuyeron con respecto al año anterior, lo que se corresponde con comunicaciones internacionales. Las infecciones respiratorias continúan siendo el principal motivo de consulta. Existió un aumento significativo tanto en las lesiones como en la escabiosis lo que se puede relacionar con las medidas de confinamiento.

Summary: Introduction: the WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic on 3/11/2020. A Public Health Emergency was declared in Uruguay and as of 3/13/2020 and different measures were adopted to prevent the spread of the virus, including the establishment of reduced mobility measures. This led, among other things, to a decrease in attendance levels at all health centers, including pediatric emergency consultations. Objective: to describe the characteristics of the consultations in the Emergency Service of the Police Hospital during 3/14/20-07/14/20 within an epidemiological context and to compare it with the same period in 2019. Methodology: we carried out a retrospective descriptive observational study from March 14 to July 14, 2019 and 2020. We included all children and adolescents from 0 to 14 years old including those who consulted in the Emergency Service of the Police Hospital. We considered epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary variables. Data source: medical records. Statistical analysis: frequency distribution, summary measures and significance. Results: the absolute frequency of consultations in the period analyzed was 2,765 in 2019 compared to 576 in 2020. A 79% reduction in consultations was identified in 2020 compared to 2019. Respiratory infections decreased by 53%, even though obstructive bronchial crises did not. On the other hand, we recorded a significant increase 87.5% in trauma/cutting injuries. A significant rise of 427% in consultations for scabies was observed. No significant growth in consultations for mistreatment/abuse was identified. Conclusions: pediatric emergency consultations decreased compared to the previous year, which matches the international literature. Respiratory infections continue to be the main reason for consultation. There was a significant increase in both lesions and scabies, which can be linked to the confinement measures.

Introdução: a OMS declarou a pandemia de SARS-CoV2 COVID 19 em 11/03/2020. O estado de emergência sanitária foi declarado no Uruguai e desde 13/03/2020 foram adotadas medidas para evitar a propagação do vírus, incluindo mobilidade reduzida. Isso ocasionou, entre outras coisas, uma diminuição do atendimento nos centros de saúde, incluindo as consultas de emergência pediátrica. Objetivo: descrever as características dos atendimentos no Serviço de Emergência do Hospital Policial durante o período de 14/03/20-14/07/20 no contexto epidemiológico e compará-lo com o mesmo período de 2019. Metodologia: foi realizado um estudo observacional descritivo retrospectivo. Período considerado de 14 de março a 14 de julho de 2019 e 2020. Foram incluídas todas as crianças e adolescentes de 0 a 14 anos inclusive aquelas que consultaram no Serviço de Emergência do Hospital Policial. Foram consideradas variáveis epidemiológicas, clínicas e evolutivas. Fonte de dados: prontuários médicos. Análise estatística: distribuição de frequência, medidas sumárias e significância. Resultados: a frequência absoluta de consultas no período analisado foi de 2.765 em 2019 e 576 em 2020. Identificou-se uma redução de 79% nas consultas em 2020 em relação a 2019. As infecções respiratórias diminuíram 53%; não assim as crises brônquicas obstrutivas. Por outro lado, observou-se um aumento significativo de 87,5% nos traumas/lesões cortantes. Destaca-se o aumento de consultas por sarna de 427%. Não foi identificado aumento significativo de consultas por maus-tratos/abuso. Conclusões: as consultas de urgência pediátrica diminuíram comparadas ao ano anterior, o que concorda com a literatura internacional. As infecções respiratórias continuam a ser o principal motivo de consulta. Houve aumento significativo tanto das lesões quanto da sarna, o que pode estar relacionado às medidas de confinamento.

Comportamiento del Servicio de Urgencia Estomatológica en tiempos de covid-19. Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, 2020 / Behavior of the Dentistry Emergency Service in the times of COVID-19. Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, 2020

RESUMEN Introducción: en marzo de 2020, la Organización Mundial de la Salud determinó que la covid-19 podía caracterizarse como una pandemia. Desde entonces, Cuba implementó medidas de control sanitario y evita el colapso de los servicios de salud. Por su parte, la atención estomatológica básica quedó sustituida por la de urgencias y es brindada por personal calificado con equipos de protección. Objetivos: describir el comportamiento de la atención a urgencias estomatológicas. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal (de marzo a agosto de 2020), a un universo constituido por 3 722 pacientes atendidos en dicho período, 32 estomatólogos y 29 licenciados. Se estudiaron las variables edad, sexo y patología de urgencias. Resultados: entre los estomatólogos que atendieron urgencias, predominaron los de 22 a 35 años (68,75 %), el sexo femenino (77,27 %) y licenciadas del grupo de 36 a 50 años (68,96 %). Los pacientes atendidos en Urgencias fueron mayormente de 19 a 59 años (76,03 %) y de sexo masculino (52,76 %). Los motivos más representativos de asistencia allí, fueron la odontalgia (53,68 %), el absceso alveolar agudo (17,35 %), la hiperestesia dentinaria (6,15 %) y la estomatitis aftosa (5,02 %). Conclusiones: la atención estomatológica de urgencia fue brindada fundamentalmente por personal joven, no comprendido dentro del grupo vulnerable, de sexo femenino. Las principales urgencias estomatológicas fueron la odontalgia por estados inflamatorios pulpares, el absceso alveolar agudo, la hiperestesia dentinaria y la estomatitis aftosa, prevaleciendo pacientes adultos del sexo masculino (AU).

ABSTRACT Introduction: in March 2020, the World Health Organization decided that COVID-19 could be characterized as a pandemic. Since then on, Cuba has implemented health control measures and prevents the collapse of the health services. For its part, basic dentist care was replaced by emergency care and is provided by qualified personnel with protective equipment. Objective: to describe the behavior of care to dentistry emergencies. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study was carried out to a universe formed by 3 722 patients, 32 dentists and 29 bachelors. The variables age, gender and emergency pathology were studied. Results: among the dentists who attended the emergency, those aged 22-35 years (68.75 %), who were female (77.27 %), and bachelors from the 36-50 age group (68.96 %) predominated. The patients treated in the Emergencies were mostly 19 to 59 years old (76.03 %) and male (52.76 %). The most representative reasons for care there were toothache (53.68 %), acute alveolar abscess (17.35 %), dental hyperesthesia (6.15 %) and aphthous stomatitis (5.02 %). Conclusions: emergency dentistry care was provided mainly by young female persons, not included within the vulnerable group. The main dentistry emergencies were toothaches by pulpal inflammatory states, acute alveolar abscess, dental hyperesthesia and aphthous stomatitis, prevailing adult male patients (AU).

Factors Associated with Emergency Department Length of Stay in Critically Ill Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND Length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department (ED) should be measured and evaluated comprehensively as an important indicator of hospital emergency service. In this study, we aimed to analyze clinical characteristics of critically ill patients admitted to the ED and identify the factors associated with LOS. MATERIAL AND METHODS All patients with level 1 and level 2 of the Emergency Severity Index who were admitted to the ED from January 2018 to December 2019 were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: LOS ≥4 h and LOS <4 h. Variables were comprehensively analyzed and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS A total of 19 616 patients, including 7269 patients in the LOS ≥4 h group and 12 347 patients in the LOS <4 group, were included. Advanced age, admission in winter and during the night shift, and diseases excluding nervous system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and trauma were associated with higher risk of LOS. Nervous system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, trauma, and procedures including tracheal intubation, surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, and thrombolysis were associated with lower risk of LOS. CONCLUSIONS Prolonged LOS in the ED was associated with increased age and admission in winter and during the night shift, while shortened LOS was associated with nervous system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and trauma, as well as with procedures including tracheal intubation, surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, and thrombolysis. Our findings can serve as a guide for ED physicians to individually evaluate patient condition and allocate medical resources more effectively.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emergency Adult Surgical Patients and Surgical Services: An International Multi-center Cohort Study and Department Survey.

OBJECTIVES: The PREDICT study aimed to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected surgical services and surgical patients and to identify predictors of outcomes in this cohort. BACKGROUND: High mortality rates were reported for surgical patients with COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic. However, the indirect impact of the pandemic on this cohort is not understood, and risk predictors are yet to be identified. METHODS: PREDICT is an international longitudinal cohort study comprising surgical patients presenting to hospital between March and August 2020, conducted alongside a survey of staff redeployment and departmental restructuring. A subgroup analysis of 3176 adult emergency patients, recruited by 55 teams across 18 countries is presented. RESULTS: Among adult emergency surgical patients, all-cause in-hospital mortality (IHM) was 3.6%, compared to 15.5% for those with COVID-19. However, only 14.1% received a COVID-19 test on admission in March, increasing to 76.5% by July.Higher Clinical Frailty Scale scores (CFS >7 aOR 18.87), ASA grade above 2 (aOR 4.29), and COVID-19 infection (aOR 5.12) were independently associated with significantly increased IHM.The peak months of the first wave were independently associated with significantly higher IHM (March aOR 4.34; April aOR 4.25; May aOR 3.97), compared to non-peak months.During the study, UK operating theatre capacity decreased by a mean of 63.6% with a concomitant 27.3% reduction in surgical staffing. CONCLUSION: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted surgical patients, both directly through co-morbid infection and indirectly as shown by increasing mortality in peak months, irrespective of COVID-19 status.Higher CFS scores and ASA grades strongly predict outcomes in surgical patients and are an important risk assessment tool during the pandemic.

Long-term survival in high-risk older adults following emergency general surgery admission.

BACKGROUND: Emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions are increasingly common among nursing home residents. While such patients have a high risk of in-hospital mortality, long-term outcomes in this group are not well described, which may have implications for goals of care discussions. In this study, we evaluate long-term survival among nursing home residents admitted for EGS conditions. METHODS: We performed a population-based, retrospective cohort study of nursing home residents (65 years or older) admitted for one of eight EGS diagnoses (appendicitis, cholecystitis, strangulated hernia, bowel obstruction, diverticulitis, peptic ulcer disease, intestinal ischemia, or perforated viscus) from 2006 to 2018 in a large regional health system. The primary outcome was 1-year survival. To ascertain the effect of EGS admission independent of baseline characteristics, patients were matched to nursing home residents without an EGS admission based on demographics and baseline health. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate survival across groups. RESULTS: A total of 7,942 nursing home residents (mean age, 85 years) were admitted with an EGS diagnosis and matched to controls. One quarter of patients underwent surgery, and 18% died in hospital. At 1 year, 55% of cases were alive, compared with 72% of controls (p < 0.001). Among those undergoing surgery, 61% were alive at 1 year, compared with 72% of controls (p < 0.001). The 1-year survival probability was 57% in patients who did not require mechanical ventilation, 43% in those who required 1 to 2 days of ventilation, and 30% in those who required ≥3 days of ventilation. CONCLUSION: Although their risk of in-hospital mortality is high, most nursing home residents admitted for an EGS diagnosis survive at least 1 year. While nursing home residents presenting with an EGS diagnosis should be cited realistic odds for the risk of death, long-term survival is achievable in the majority of these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiological, level III.

Factors associated with potentially avoidable interhospital transfers in emergency general surgery-A call for quality improvement efforts.

BACKGROUND: Emergency general surgery conditions are common, require urgent surgical evaluation, and are associated with high mortality and costs. Although appropriate interhospital transfers are critical to successful emergency general surgery care, the performance of emergency general surgery transfer systems remains unclear. We aimed to describe emergency general surgery transfer patterns and identify factors associated with potentially avoidable transfers. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of emergency general surgery episodes in 8 US states using the 2016 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and Emergency Department Databases and the American Hospital Association Annual Surveys. We identified Emergency Department-to-Inpatient and Inpatient-to-Inpatient interhospital emergency general surgery transfers. Potentially avoidable transfers were defined as discharge within 72 hours after transfer without undergoing any procedure or operation at the destination hospital. We examined transfer incidence and characteristics. We performed multilevel regression examining patient-level and hospital-level factors associated with potentially avoidable transfers. RESULTS: Of 514,410 adult emergency general surgery episodes, 26,281 (5.1%) involved interhospital transfers (Emergency Department-to-Inpatient: 65.0%, Inpatient-to-Inpatient: 35.1%). Over 1 in 4 transfers were potentially avoidable (7,188, 27.4%), with the majority occurring from the emergency department. Factors associated with increased odds of potentially avoidable transfers included self-pay (versus government insurance, odds ratio: 1.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.45, P = .002), level 1 trauma centers (versus non-trauma centers, odds ratio: 1.24, 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.47, P = .01), and critical access hospitals (versus non-critical access, odds ratio: 1.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.15-1.47, P < .001). Hospital-level factors (size, trauma center, ownership, critical access, location) accounted for 36.1% of potentially avoidable transfers variability. CONCLUSION: Over 1 in 4 emergency general surgery transfers are potentially avoidable. Understanding factors associated with potentially avoidable transfers can guide research, quality improvement, and infrastructure development to optimize emergency general surgery care.

Do surgical emergencies stay at home? Observations from the first United States Coronavirus epicenter.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, New York instituted a statewide stay-at-home mandate to lower viral transmission. While public health guidelines advised continued provision of timely care for patients, disruption of safety-net health care and public fear have been proposed to be related to indirect deaths because of delays in presentation. We hypothesized that admissions for emergency general surgery (EGS) diagnoses would decrease during the pandemic and that mortality for these patients would increase. METHODS: A multicenter observational study comparing EGS admissions from January to May 2020 to 2018 and 2019 across 11 NYC hospitals in the largest public health care system in the United States was performed. Emergency general surgery diagnoses were defined using International Classification Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes and grouped into seven common diagnosis categories: appendicitis, cholecystitis, small/large bowel, peptic ulcer disease, groin hernia, ventral hernia, and necrotizing soft tissue infection. Baseline demographics were compared including age, race/ethnicity, and payor status. Outcomes included coronavirus disease (COVID) status and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,376 patients were admitted for EGS diagnoses from January to May 2020, a decrease compared with both 2018 (1,789) and 2019 (1,668) (p < 0.0001). This drop was most notable after the stay-at-home mandate (March 22, 2020; week 12). From March to May 2020, 3.3%, 19.2%, and 6.0% of EGS admissions were incidentally COVID positive, respectively. Mortality increased in March to May 2020 compared with 2019 (2.2% vs. 0.7%); this difference was statistically significant between April 2020 and April 2019 (4.1% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Supporting our hypothesis, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home mandate resulted in decreased EGS admissions between March and May 2020 compared with prior years. During this time, there was also a statistically significant increase in mortality, which peaked at the height of COVID infection rates in our population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiological, level IV.

Surgeon Volume and Risk of Reoperation after Laparoscopic Primary Ventral Hernia Repair: A Nationwide Register-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Repairs of primary ventral hernias are common procedures but are associated with high recurrence rates. Therefore, it is important to investigate risk factors for recurrence to optimize current treatments. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of annual surgeon volume on the risk of reoperation for recurrence after primary ventral hernia repair. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nationwide register-based study with data from the Danish Ventral Hernia Database and the Danish Patient Safety Authority's Online Register linked via surgeons' authorization identification. We included patients 18 years and older, undergoing umbilical or epigastric hernia repair between 2011 and 2020. Annual surgeon volume was categorized into ≤ 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 29, and ≥ 30 cases. Patients were followed until reoperation, death, emigration, or end of the study period. RESULTS: We included 7,868 patients who underwent laparoscopic (n = 1,529 [19%]), open mesh (n = 4,138 [53%]), or open nonmesh (n = 2,201 [28%]) repair. There was an increased risk of reoperation after laparoscopic umbilical or epigastric hernia repair for surgeons with ≤ 9 (hazard ratio 6.57; p = 0.008), 10 to 19 (hazard ratio 6.58; p = 0.011), and 20 to 29 (hazard ratio 13.59; p = 0.001) compared with ≥ 30 cases/y. There were no differences in risk of reoperation after open mesh and open nonmesh repair in relation to annual surgeon volume. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significantly higher risk of reoperation after laparoscopic primary ventral hernia repair performed by lower-volume surgeons compared with high-volume surgeons. Additional research investigating how sufficient surgical training and supervision are ensured is indicated to reduce risk of reoperation after primary ventral hernia repair.

COVID-19 related mortality in post-operative cardiac surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions. Elective cardiac surgery has been universally postponed with only urgent and emergency cardiac operations being performed. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom introduced national measures to conserve intensive care beds and significantly limit elective activity shortly after lockdown. CASE PRESENTATION: We report two cases of early post-operative mortality secondary to COVID-19 infection immediately prior to the implementation of these widespread measures. CONCLUSION: The role of cardiac surgery in the presence of COVID-19 is still very unpredictable and further studies on both short term and long term outcomes are warranted.

Impact of the first COVID-19 shutdown on patient volumes and surgical procedures of a Level I trauma center.

PURPOSE: In Dec 2019, COVID-19 was first recognized and led to a worldwide pandemic. The German government implemented a shutdown in Mar 2020, affecting outpatient and hospital care. The aim of the present article was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on patient volumes and surgical procedures of a Level I trauma center in Germany. METHODS: All emergency patients were recorded retrospectively during the shutdown and compared to a calendar-matched control period (CTRL). Total emergency patient contacts including trauma mechanisms, injury patterns and operation numbers were recorded including absolute numbers, incidence proportions and risk ratios. RESULTS: During the shutdown period, we observed a decrease of emergency patient cases (417) compared to CTRL (575), a decrease of elective cases (42 vs. 13) and of the total number of operations (397 vs. 325). Incidence proportions of emergency operations increased from 8.2 to 12.2% (shutdown) and elective surgical cases decreased (11.1 vs. 4.3%). As we observed a decrease for most trauma mechanisms and injury patterns, we found an increasing incidence proportion for severe open fractures. Household-related injuries were reported with an increasing incidence proportion from 26.8 to 47.5% (shutdown). We found an increasing tendency of trauma and injuries related to psychological disorders. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows a decrease of total patient numbers in an emergency department of a Level I trauma center and a decrease of the total number of operations during the shutdown period. Concurrently, we observed an increase of severe open fractures and emergency operations. Furthermore, trauma mechanism changed with less traffic, work and sports-related accidents.

How Does SARS-CoV-2 Infection Affect Survival of Emergency Cardiovascular Patients? A Cohort Study From a German Insurance Claims Database.

OBJECTIVE: A previous study revealed a preliminary trend towards higher in hospital mortality in patients admitted as an emergency with acute stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. The current study aimed to further examine the possible impact of a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection on in hospital mortality. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of health insurance claims data from the second largest insurance fund in Germany, BARMER. Patients hospitalised for ST elevation (STEMI) and non-ST elevation (NSTEMI) myocardial infarction, acute limb ischaemia (ALI), aortic rupture, acute stroke, or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) between 1 January 2017, and 31 October 2020, were included. Admission rates per 10 000 insured and mortality were compared between March - June 2017 - 2019 (pre-COVID) and March - June 2020 (COVID). Mortality rates were determined by the occurrence of a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: A total of 316 718 hospitalisations were included (48.7% female, mean 72.5 years), and 21 191 (6.7%, 95% CI 6.6% - 6.8%) deaths occurred. In hospital mortality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with the three previous years for patients with acute stroke from 8.3% (95% CI 8.0 - 8.5) to 9.6% (95% CI 9.1 - 10.2), while no statistically significant changes were observed for STEMI, NSTEMI, ALI, aortic rupture, and TIA. When comparing patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (2.4%, 95% CI 2.3 - 2.5) vs. non-infected patients, a higher in hospital mortality was observed for acute stroke (12.4% vs. 9.0%), ALI (14.3% vs. 5.0%), and TIA (2.7% vs. 0.3%), while no statistically significant differences were observed for STEMI, NSTEMI, and aortic rupture. CONCLUSION: This retrospective analysis of claims data has provided hints of an association between the COVID-19 pandemic and increased in hospital mortality in patients with acute stroke. Furthermore, confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased mortality in patients with stroke, TIA, and ALI. Future studies are urgently needed to better understand the underlying mechanism and relationship between the new coronavirus and acute stroke.