Were appendicitis’ more complicated in the Covid-19 pandemic?

Abstract

To investigate the frequency of patients operated for acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic period, their complication rates and how it affected hospital costs. In this retrospective study, the data of patients who were operated with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis during the Covid-19 pandemic period (15 March - 31 May 2020) were compared with the data of those operated in the non-pandemic period (15 March - 31 May 2019). Patients who were operated during the COVID-19 pandemic period were categorized as Group A and those operated in the non-pandemic period as Group B. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients, the incidence of the disease, whether the disease was complicated, and the hospital costs were analyzed. Of a total of 108 patients meeting the study criteria, 46 were assigned to Group A and 62 to Group B. When the appendix diameters were compared, the mean appendix diameter of the patients in Group A was higher than that of the patients in Group B (8±SD mm vs. 7±SD mm, p< 0.001). The mean operative time of the patients in Group A was longer than that of the patients in Group B (47.5±15.41 minutes vs. 40±9.61 minutes, respectively, p < 0.001). Intraabdominal drain was required in 10 patients (21.7%) in Group A and 4 patients (6.5%) in Group B (p=0.039). All the wound infections developed in Group A in open operations. When the cost analysis between the groups was compared, the mean cost per patient in Group A was 1284.10±804.11 TL, while it was 1066.43±671.28 TL in Group B, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p=0.040). During the Covid-19 pandemic, patients who were operated with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis became more complicated, and the morbidity and hospital costs of patients increased.