Abstract

The world currently faces the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic. Little is known about the effects of a pandemic on non-elective neurosurgical practices, which have continued under modified conditions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This knowledge might be critical for the ongoing second coronavirus wave and potential restrictions on health care. We aimed to determine the incidence and 30-day mortality rate of various non-elective neurosurgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective, multi-centre observational cohort study among neurosurgical centres within Austria, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland was performed. Incidence of neurosurgical emergencies and related 30-day mortality rates were determined for a period reflecting the peak pandemic of the first wave in all participating countries (i.e. March 16th–April 15th, 2020), and compared to the same period in prior years (2017, 2018, and 2019). A total of 4,752 emergency neurosurgical cases were reviewed over a 4-year period. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a general decline in the incidence of non-elective neurosurgical cases, which was driven by a reduced number of traumatic brain injuries, spine conditions, and chronic subdural hematomas. Thirty-day mortality did not significantly increase overall or for any of the conditions examined during the peak of the pandemic. The neurosurgical community in these three European countries observed a decrease in the incidence of some neurosurgical emergencies with 30-day mortality rates comparable to previous years (2017–2019). Lower incidence of neurosurgical cases is likely related to restrictions placed on mobility within countries, but may also involve delayed patient presentation.

Highlights

  • The world currently faces a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, known as COVID-19

  • A retrospective analysis was performed of most neurosurgical procedures across three European countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland) during the initial height of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 16 to April 15, 2020)

  • Chi-squared analyses revealed that significant differences in incidence rates occurred for cSDH, spine, acute hydrocephalus, and tumour cases in Austria, and in TBI and cSDH in the Czech Republic

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The world currently faces a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, known as COVID-19. Fewer original research studies have documented the impact of the current pandemic on the incidence and surgical outcomes of non-elective cases. They have, to this point, focused on complications arising in patients with COVID-19 following ­surgery[17,18,19,20,21,22,23]. Lacking are studies exploring whether the systemic response to COVID-19 altered incidence and outcomes for uninfected patients undergoing non-elective/emergent surgical procedures. This information is critical to evaluate protocols for the ongoing second wave of COVID-1924,25. The primary analysis addressed incidence and 30-day mortality in non-elective neurosurgical cases compared to three previous years

Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call