Significant increase of emergency hernia operation during COVID

Area of Science:

• Surgery
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread postponement of elective surgeries, including hernia repairs.
• This disruption potentially increased waiting lists and treatment delays for patients requiring hernia surgery.
• Previous observations suggested emergency hernia repair volumes did not decrease during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate shifts in hernia surgery volume from elective to emergency procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To gain insight into preoperative patient prioritization amidst surgical backlogs.
• To analyze trends in hernia repair types (elective vs. emergent) across different time periods.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective multicenter study analyzed hernia repair databases from four regional hospitals.
• Data encompassed patient admissions and surgery times for groin and ventral hernia repairs from March 2019 to March 2023.
• Descriptive statistics were used to present findings on elective versus emergent hernia repair rates.

Main Results:

• A 15% decline in overall hernia repairs was observed during the pandemic compared to historical levels.
• The proportion of emergency hernia repairs saw a slight increase of 0.8% during the pandemic.
• Post-pandemic, surgery rates are recovering, but a persistent proportion of emergent surgeries remains, with no significant differences across hernia types.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic significantly impacted hernia repair volumes, shifting the balance towards emergent cases.
• Elevated rates of emergent hernia repairs persist post-pandemic, posing challenges for timely patient care and prioritization.
• Further research is needed to optimize patient selection for hernia repair to mitigate delays.