• Arnulf G Willms, Karl J Oldhafer, Sophie Conze, Wolfgang E Thasler, Christian von Schassen, Thorsten Hauer, Tobias Huber, Christoph-Thomas Germer, Simone Günster, Dirk R Bulian, Zarah Hirche, Jörg Filser, Gregor A Stavrou, Martin Reichert, Patrizia Malkomes, Steffen Seyfried, Tobias Ludwig, Hans C Hillebrecht, Dimitrios Pantelis, Stefanie Brunner, Wilm Rost, Johan F Lock, and CAMIN Study Group.
• Klinik für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie, Thoraxchirurgie, Bundeswehrzentralkrankenhaus Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany. ArnulfWillms@bundeswehr.org.
• Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2021 Mar 1; 406 (2): 367-375.

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has transformed medical care worldwide. General surgery has been affected in elective procedures, yet the implications for emergency surgery are unclear. The current study analyzes the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 on appendicitis treatment in Germany.MethodsHospitals that provided emergency surgical care during the COVID-19 lockdown were invited to participate. All patients diagnosed with appendicitis during the lockdown period (10 weeks) and, as a comparison group, patients from the same period in 2019 were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory parameters, intraoperative and pathological findings, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed.ResultsA total of 1915 appendectomies from 41 surgical departments in Germany were included. Compared to 2019 the number of appendectomies decreased by 13.5% (1.027 to 888, p=0.003) during the first 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. The delay between the onset of symptoms and medical consultation was substantially longer in the COVID-19 risk group and for the elderly. The rate of complicated appendicitis increased (58.2 to 64.4%), while the absolute number of complicated appendicitis decreased from 597 to 569, (p=0.012). The rate of negative appendectomies decreased significantly (6.7 to 4.6%; p=0.012). Overall postoperative morbidity and mortality, however, did not change.ConclusionThe COVID-19 lockdown had significant effects on abdominal emergency surgery in Germany. These seem to result from a stricter selection and a longer waiting time between the onset of symptoms and medical consultation for risk patients. However, the standard of emergency surgical care in Germany was maintained.

31 keywords...

hide…