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The impact of COVID-19 on plastic and reconstructive surgery in China: A single-centre retrospective study
Zhihua Qiao1, Yiwen Deng1, Xiancheng Wang1
1Department of Plastic and Aesthetic (Burn) Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted plastic surgery volumes, with a notable decrease in aesthetic procedures. Restorative procedures saw a smaller decline, indicating resilience in essential surgical services during the pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Investigated the impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on plastic surgery operations.
- Examined changes in factors influencing plastic surgery during the pandemic.
- Identified potential challenges within the plastic surgery sector due to COVID-19.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the volume of plastic surgery procedures in a major public hospital.
- To understand the shifts in plastic surgery trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify and address emerging issues in plastic surgery practice.
Main Methods:
- Collected clinical data from January 2018 to December 2020.
- Gathered information on procedure type, patient demographics (age, gender), and duration.
- Analyzed data using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0.
Main Results:
- Total patient admissions decreased by 21.53% in 2020 compared to 2019.
- Aesthetic procedures dropped by 34.17% in 2020, while restorative procedures decreased by only 12.86%.
- Women constituted over 90% of aesthetic procedure patients, predominantly aged 20-29.
Conclusions:
- The plastic surgery industry globally is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Effective epidemic control measures in China facilitated a rapid recovery of the plastic surgery sector.
- The study highlights the differential impact of the pandemic on various types of plastic surgery procedures.
Background:
This study aimed to investigate the volume of plastic surgery operations in a large public hospital and figure out the changes in the related factors associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify the potential problems.
Methods:
We created a survey and collected clinical data from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020. Information on procedure time, patient gender, patient age, and procedure type was collected from the database. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25.0.
Results:
A total of 10,827 patients were admitted to our department. The total number of patients decreased by 21.53% in 2020 (3057 cases) than the same period in 2019 (3896 cases). The total number of aesthetic procedures decreased by 34.17% in 2020 than that in 2019. However, restorative procedures in 2020 (2013 cases) only decreased by 12.86% than that in 2019 (2310 cases). The percentages of women amongst patients who underwent aesthetic procedures were 91.75%, 92.18%, and 90.71% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. Most of the patients in these three years were aged 20-29 years.
Conclusions:
The plastic surgery industry is experiencing the effects of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. COVID-19 was quickly brought under control, and the plastic surgery industry developed rapidly in China because of the active, timely, and accurate implementation of epidemic prevention strategies.
