The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric operations: a retrospective study of Chinese children
- PDF / 789,212 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 116 Downloads / 194 Views
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Open Access
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric operations: a retrospective study of Chinese children Yi Wei1,2, Chengjun Yu1,2, Tian Xin Zhao1,2, Tao Lin1,3, H. E. Dawei1,4, Sheng-de Wu1,2,3* and Guang-hui Wei2,3,4,5,6
Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pediatric operations, and establish preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative protocols to improve the pediatric operations. Methods: We here compare the number of patients who underwent surgery in Chongqing Medical University Affiliated Children’s Hospital during the pandemic (January 23–March 11), after the pandemic (March 12–April 30), after our measures were put in place (May 1–May 21), and the equivalent period in 2019. Result: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 62.68% fewer patients underwent surgery than during the homologous period of time 1 year earlier (P < 0.01). After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of orchidopexy cases increased significantly from 175.14 to 504.57 per week (P < 0.01). The large number of patients that accrued in our hospital may have increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In response, hospitals and clinics have made protocols and reorganized healthcare facilities (e.g., performing nucleic acid tests (NAT), adding adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)) from May 1, 2020. After the measures were implemented, the number of operations performed remained stable and comparable to the pre-pandemic period. COVID-19 RNA detection was performed in 5104 cases and there were no new confirmed cases in our hospital. Conclusion: This outbreak of COVID-19 has affected not only individuals with COVID-19 but also patients seeking surgical operations. Understanding the present situation helps clinicians provide a high level of treatment to all children. Keywords: COVID-19, Operation, Nucleic acid test, Children, China
Introduction COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). The COVID-19 outbreak has spread globally and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 [1]. As of June 11, more than 216 countries had reported cases of this * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Urology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Room 806, Kejiao Building (NO.6 Building), No.136, 2nd Zhongshan Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing City 40014, China 2 Chongqing Key Laboratory of Children Urogenital Development and Tissue Engineering, Chongqing City, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
illness, with a total of about 7,255,960 diagnosed cases causing over 412,583 deaths (World Health Organization, 2020). China has enacted a series of strict measures since January 23, 2020 to block the quick spread of virus infection and control the severe epidemic [2]. This outbreak has affected not only individuals with COVID-19, but also patients seeking care for other conditions. A decrease
Data Loading...
