[EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACTIVATION FOR ANAPHYLAXIS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY FROM ISRAEL].

Abstract

Introduction: During the first waves of COVID-19 in 2020, the public was confined to their homes due to closure instructions that applied to gatherings, celebrations, and restaurants, as well as voluntary self-isolation for fear of contagion. This seclusion affected, among other things, pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS), which experienced a general decrease in their activity for trauma cases and routine medical problems. Other immediate life-saving events are cases of anaphylaxis. The change in public behavior may have led to a change in the scope of acute anaphylaxis attacks.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine if there was a change in the number of pre-hospital EMS calls for anaphylaxis and pre-hospital EpiPen use during the period of COVID-19.

Methods: A retrospective comparative study evaluated data for "anaphylaxis" cases diagnosed by EMS between 2019 (pre-epidemic period) versus 2020 (epidemic period). The information analyzed included age and use of an EpiPen. All data were obtained from the control and control system used by Magen David Adom (MDA) - Israel's National Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services System.

Results: During the study period, there were a total of 4,089 emergency responses to anaphylaxis with a negligible difference in the volume of EMS visits from 2019 to 2020. In contrast, there was a significant increase in the frequency of visits where an EpiPen was used between 2019, 5.7%, and 2020, 7.5% (p = 0.02). Age was not found to be a significant variable in this analysis (p=0.15).

Conclusions: This study shows that, unlike many other medical emergencies where there was a decrease in the response of EMS during the period of the first waves in 2020, the number of calls for anaphylaxis remained similar. However, there was a statistically significant increase in EMS responses requiring the use of an EpiPen during the pandemic. These results raise the need for follow-up studies about the behavior of the population suffering from allergies during epidemics and periods of crisis and the need for increased awareness to save lives during these times.