Abstract:
Background and Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most frequently performed elective pediatric surgical procedures and the number of hospitalizations and compare it to the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Materials and Methods: The subjects were patients under 18 years of age who were regularly admitted for selected elective procedures in a single tertiary center in Croatia from 1 March to 31 August of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Data were collected from the electronic logs of surgical procedures and hospital admissions, logs of one-day surgeries, patients\' medical records, and discharge letters. The primary outcome of this study was to determine the evolution of the number of elective surgical procedures before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; also, we aimed to confirm and objectify global data and statements about the decrease in the number of hospital admissions and surgical procedures. Secondary outcome measures included the length of hospitalization, the number and types of complications, and readmissions. Results: In 2020, the number of elective procedures decreased by 28.3% and the number of hospitalizations decreased by 36.2%; in 2021, the number of elective procedures decreased by 30.8% and the number of hospitalizations decreased by 14.2% compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019). In 2022, there was a 22.8% increase in elective procedures and a 2.9% decrease in hospitalizations compared to 2019. No statistical difference was found in the rates of complications between the individual years studied in terms of complications (p = 0.869). Conclusions: The number of elective procedures and hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period. After the healthcare system adapted to the conditions of the pandemic, the number of elective procedures increased significantly despite COVID-19, while the number of hospitalizations remained approximately the same as before the pandemic.
摘要:
背景和目的:这项回顾性研究旨在调查COVID-19大流行对最常见的择期儿科外科手术和住院人数的影响,并将其与大流行前和大流行后时期进行比较。材料和方法:受试者是18岁以下的患者,他们于2019年3月1日至8月31日,2020年,2021年和2022年在克罗地亚的一个三级中心定期接受选择性择期手术。数据是从外科手术和住院的电子日志中收集的,一天手术的日志,病人的医疗记录,和出院信。这项研究的主要结果是确定之前的选择性外科手术数量的演变,during,在COVID-19大流行的高峰之后;还有,我们的目的是确认和客观化有关住院人数和外科手术数量减少的全球数据和声明.次要结果指标包括住院时间,并发症的数量和类型,和再入院。结果:2020年,择期手术数量减少28.3%,住院人数减少36.2%;2021年,与大流行前(2019年)相比,择期手术数量减少30.8%,住院人数减少14.2%。2022年,与2019年相比,选择性手术增加了22.8%,住院人数减少了2.9%。就并发症而言,研究的各个年份之间的并发症发生率没有统计学差异(p=0.869)。结论:与大流行前相比,COVID-19大流行期间的择期手术和住院人数显著减少。在医疗系统适应大流行的条件后,尽管有COVID-19,但择期手术的数量显著增加,而住院治疗的数量与大流行前大致相同.