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The Impact of COVID-19 on Interventional Radiology Services in the UK
Jim Zhong1, Anubhav Datta2,3, Thomas Gordon4
1Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK. jim.zhong@nhs.net.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a 31% drop in interventional radiology (IR) procedures, but acute cases remained stable. IR services adapted to maintain emergency and elective care during the crisis.
Area of Science:
- Interventional Radiology
- Healthcare Management
- Pandemic Response
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly challenged healthcare systems globally.
- Interventional Radiology (IR) services faced unprecedented operational pressures.
- This study aimed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on IR practices in the UK.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the changes in the volume and nature of therapeutic IR procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare IR practice patterns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify specific IR procedures most affected by the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective, multi-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted in six UK hospitals.
- Therapeutic IR procedures were identified and categorized using hospital radiology information systems.
- Data were collected for two periods: March-April 2019 (control) and March-April 2020 (COVID-19 group).
Main Results:
- Overall therapeutic IR procedures decreased by 31% (1363 vs 942 cases) during the pandemic.
- Acute IR work saw a minimal decrease of 0.5%, while out-of-hours cases increased by 10%.
- Significant decreases were observed in image-guided ablation (91.7%), IVC filters (83.3%), and aortic stent grafting (80.8%).
Conclusions:
- Interventional Radiology services demonstrated adaptability by continuing essential emergency and elective treatments.
- The pandemic highlighted the critical role of IR in supporting various surgical and medical specialties.
- IR practice evolved, with a notable increase in emergency procedures like cholecystostomy.
Introduction:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges on the healthcare system. The aim of this multi-centre study was to measure the impact of COVID-19 on IR services in the UK.
Material And Methods:
Retrospective cross-sectional study of IR practice in six UK centres during the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out. All therapeutic IR procedures were identified using the respective hospital radiology information systems and COVID-19 status found on the hospital patient record systems. The total number of therapeutic IR procedures was recorded over two time periods, 25/03/2019-21/04/2019 (control group) and 30/03/2020-26/04/2020 (COVID-19 group). The data points collected were: procedure type, aerosol-generating nature, acute or elective case, modality used, in- or out-of-hours case and whether the procedure was done at the bedside (portable).
Results:
A 31% decrease in overall number of IR procedures was observed during COVID-19 compared to the control group (1363 cases vs 942 cases); however, the acute work decreased by only 0.5%. An increase in out-of-hours work by 10% was observed. COVID-19 was suspected or laboratory proved in 9.9% of cases (n = 93), and 15% of total cases (n = 141) were classed as aerosol-generating procedures. A 66% rise in cholecystostomy was noted during COVID-19. Image-guided ablation, IVC filters, aortic stent grafting and visceral vascular stenting had the greatest % decreases in practice during COVID-19, with 91.7%, 83.3%, 80.8% and 80.2% decreases, respectively.
Conclusion:
During the global pandemic, IR has continued to provide emergency and elective treatment highlighting the adaptability of IR in supporting other specialties.
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