The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on acute appendicitis treatment in a Portuguese District Hospital

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created an enormous burden on global health systems by decreasing health care access and delaying care. Acute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common surgical emergencies worldwide. Our goal was to determine if patients treated for AA during the pandemic period had more morbidity. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including patients with AA, from a two-months period in 2020 and a control group from a homologous period in 2019. These groups were compared regarding demographics, surgical findings, surgical and postoperative complications. Results: 68 patients were diagnosed with AA (34 - 2020 and 34 - 2019). In 2020, 2 patients were conservatively treated and 32 underwent surgical appendectomy (2 open surgery - OS and 30 laparoscopic surgery - LPS). In 2019, 1 patient had OS and 33 had LPS. No prior demographic and discharge times were observed. An increase in time until surgery and in number of complications was observed. Conclusion: There were no differences in the total number of AA, however the increased time until surgery can be attributed to the time spent waiting for SARS-CoV test results. The similar discharge time but increased number of complications could be explained by delayed presentation to the emergencies room. © 2021 Celsius Publishing House. All rights reserved.