Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025
Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Clinical Presentation of Acute Cholecystitis during the COVID-19 Outbreak
Yehuda Hershkovitz1,2,3, Oded Zmora1,3, Hilli Nativ1,3
1Department of Surgery, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel.
Insights
Patients with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced delayed hospital admission and worse outcomes. This highlights the impact of the pandemic on emergency surgical care.
Area of Science:
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global healthcare systems.
- Patient fear of infection may have altered disease progression and treatment seeking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the management and outcomes of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare patient data from the pandemic period with the pre-pandemic era.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study of acute cholecystitis patients treated between March-August 2020 (pandemic group) and March-August 2019 (control group).
- Evaluation of demographics, symptoms, diagnostic findings, clinical course, management, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- The pandemic group (101 patients) showed a longer delay from symptom onset to hospital admission (3 days vs. 2 days).
- Moderate to severe disease was more frequent in the pandemic group (59.4% vs. 37.2%).
- Higher rates of failed conservative management (36% vs. 6%) and conversion to open surgery (15.4% vs. 0%) were observed during the pandemic.
Conclusions:
- Patients with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic presented later and experienced more adverse outcomes.
- The findings underscore the challenges faced in managing acute surgical conditions during a pandemic.
Background:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on healthcare systems worldwide. The fear of seeking medical attention to avoid the possibility of being infected may have altered the course of some diseases.
Objectives:
To describe our experience with the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic at our medical center.
Methods:
We compared patients treated for acute cholecystitis between 1 March and 31 August 2020 (Group I) to patients admitted with the same diagnosis during the same months in 2019 (Group II). We evaluated demographics, presenting symptoms, laboratory and imaging findings at presentation, the disease's clinical course, management, and outcome.
Results:
Group I consisted of 101 patients and group II included 94 patients. No differences were noted for age (66 years, IQR 48-78 vs. 66 years, IQR 47-76; P = 0.50) and sex (57.4% vs. 51.1% females; P = 0.39) between the two groups. The delay between symptom onset and hospital admission was longer for Group I patients (3 days, IQR 2-7 vs. 2 days, IQR 1-3; P = 0.002). Moderate to severe disease was more commonly encountered in Group I (59.4% vs. 37.2%, P = 0.003). Group I patients more often failed conservative management (36% vs. 6%, P = 0.001) and had a higher conversion rate to open surgery (15.4% vs. 0%, P = 0.025).
Conclusions:
Patients presenting with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic more often presented late to the emergency department and more showed adverse outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Acute Pancreatitis II: Clinical Manifestations and Management
01:23Gastritis III: Clinical Manifestations and Management
Clinical manifestations of acute gastritis
The patient with acute gastritis may have a rapid onset of symptoms, such as epigastric pain or discomfort, dyspepsia, anorexia, hiccups, or nausea and vomiting, which can last from a few hours to a few days. Erosive or hemorrhagic gastritis may cause bleeding, which may manifest as blood in vomit or as...
01:27Acute Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Acute pancreatitis is characterized by rapid inflammation of the pancreas, often caused by factors like gallstone blockage or excessive alcohol consumption. Chronic pancreatitis, on the other hand, is a slow, progressive inflammation that may result from long-term alcohol abuse, obstructions in the pancreatic duct, or genetic factors.
The causes of acute pancreatitis include:
01:19Pericarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
01:25Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
01:27Myocarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests