The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of patients presenting with appendicitis to the emergency department.
Prz Gastroenterol
; 19(2): 194-197, 2024.
Article
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| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38939065
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an influence on the number of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with surgical conditions.Aim:
To evaluate the number of patients presenting with acute appendicitis (AA) and the percentage of complicated appendicitis before and after the COVID-19 disease outbreak. Material andmethods:
This is a retrospective study based on the data of all patients presenting with AA to the ED of a tertiary COVID referral university hospital in Greece. We analysed the number of patients treated with AA, patient characteristics, and the proportion of patients with complicated appendicitis, and we compared the 2 groups of patients treated 12 months before and 12 months after COVID-19 onset in Greece.Results:
A total of 152 patients were included in this study. There was a significant decrease in the number of patients presenting with AA after COVID-19 onset in Greece. Respectively, 91 and 61 patients were subjected to appendectomy 12 months before and after COVID-19 onset. Comparing the 2 groups of patients, there was a statistically significant increase in the operation time (p = 0.01) after COVID-19 onset, whereas the percentage of complicated appendicitis, the duration of symptoms before presenting to the ED (< 24 h, > 24 h), and the type of operation (laparoscopic, open, converted) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups of patients.Conclusions:
The number of patients presenting to the ED with AA decreased after COVID-19 onset, most likely because patients hesitated to seek help in a COVID-19 referral hospital.
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MEDLINE
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En
Revista:
Prz Gastroenterol
Año:
2024
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Article