Emergency endoscopy in pediatrics during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a tertiary center - A changing pattern?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant lifestyle and hospital practice changes.
• The impact of these changes on pediatric emergency endoscopy was previously unevaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the pandemic's effect on the frequency and characteristics of emergency endoscopies in children.
• To compare pediatric emergency endoscopy data from the initial pandemic period with the preceding year.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of pediatric emergency department admissions requiring emergency endoscopy.
• Comparison of data from the first six months of the pandemic (Group A) with the same period in the prior year (Group B).
• Analysis of 89 cases, focusing on patient demographics, procedure indications, and timing.

Main Results:

• A higher incidence of emergency endoscopies was observed in children under two years old during the pandemic (Group A) (p = 0.009).
• Increased foreign body removal procedures were noted in Group A (p = 0.026).
• No significant differences were found in pre-hospital arrival times (p = 0.934) or emergency room to endoscopy delays (p = 0.266).

Conclusions:

• The pandemic was associated with an increased frequency of emergency endoscopies in very young children, primarily for foreign body ingestions.
• Despite changes in procedure frequency, the quality of emergency endoscopic care for pediatric patients was maintained during the pandemic.