Handchirurgie, Mikrochirurgie, plastische Chirurgie : Organ der Deutschsprachigen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Handchirurgie : Organ der Deutschsprachigen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Mikrochirurgie der Peripheren Nerven und Gefässe : Organ der Vereinigung der Deutschen Plastischen Chirurgen
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Handchir Mikrochir Plast Chir · Apr 2021
[COVID-19 and plastic surgery: aesthetic surgery or essential medical care? - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient care in the plastic surgery department at an university hospital].
In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic required far-reaching changes and measures of unprecedented extent. These measures were implemented to reduce virus spread and to ensure the continuity of nation-wide medical care, in particular with a view to having sufficient intensive-care capacities in case of a large caseload of patients infected with COVID-19. With regard to surgical specialties, this implied a temporary hold on elective cases for an indefinite period of time. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these measures on the caseload of a level-three plastic surgery unit. ⋯ A significant amount of surgical procedures in plastic surgery at a supraregional academic health centre consists of emergency, acute and urgent medically necessary cases. During the lockdown, surgical procedures were performed without a significant increase in complication rates. Despite challenges during the pandemic, high-quality patient care was provided throughout. To process less urgent yet important cases accumulated during the lockdown in a reasonable amount of time and maintaining the same level of high-quality care, additional capacities regarding operating rooms, hospital beds and outpatient care are needed. These results point out the importance of plastic surgery for medical care, in particular during times of crisis.