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Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Emergency Presentation of Acute Appendicitis

Mariana Kumaira Fonseca1, Eduardo N Trindade1, Omero P Costa Filho1

  • 1Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The American Surgeon
|November 6, 2020
PubMed

Insights

During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency appendicitis cases significantly decreased, with patients presenting later and experiencing more complicated appendicitis. This highlights a need to understand patient concerns and monitor emergency presentations.

Area of Science:

  • Surgery
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has strained global health systems.
  • Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency with expected stable incidence.
  • A worldwide decrease in emergency surgical cases and an increase in complicated cases have been observed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency appendicitis presentations in Brazil.
  • To compare appendicitis cases during the pandemic with the pre-pandemic period.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of emergency appendicitis surgeries.
  • Comparison of data from March-April 2020 (pandemic) versus March-April 2019 (pre-pandemic).
  • Data included demographics, symptom onset to hospital arrival time, intraoperative details, postoperative outcomes, and histology.

Main Results:

  • Appendectomies decreased by 56% during the pandemic (36 cases in 2020 vs. 82 in 2019).
  • Symptom onset to hospital arrival time significantly increased in 2020 (40.6 vs. 28.2 hours).
  • Complicated appendicitis proportion rose significantly (33.3% in 2020 vs. 15.2% in 2019).

Conclusions:

  • The pandemic led to fewer appendicitis cases but more complicated presentations.
  • Further research into patient concerns and systematic monitoring of emergency presentations is needed.
  • Understanding these changes is crucial for addressing the issue effectively.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19appendicitisemergency servicehospitalsurgery department

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