Ostomy closure rate during COVID-19 pandemic: an Italian multicentre observational study

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Surgical Outcomes
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to surgical prioritization for emergencies and oncologic cases, impacting elective procedures.
• Ileostomy and colostomy creation are common after colorectal surgery, but their closure is often elective.
• Reduced surgical capacity during the pandemic may have affected ostomy closure rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ostomy closure rates in Italy.
• To compare ostomy closure rates during the pandemic (March 2020-February 2021) with a pre-pandemic control period (March 2019-February 2020).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, multicentre observational study.
• Data collected from 24 Italian centres.
• Comparison of ostomy creation and closure rates between pandemic and control periods.

Main Results:

• A 19.5% overall reduction in ostomy closures was observed during the pandemic.
• Fewer ileostomies and colostomies were created and closed during the study period compared to the control period.
• Significant reductions were noted in both newly created and previously created ostomies that were closed.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in ostomy closure rates in Italy.
• This reduction likely worsened patient quality of life and increased long-term stoma management costs.
• Changes in clinical practice during the pandemic necessitate further investigation into long-term patient outcomes.