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Der T, Helmke N, Stout JE, Turner NA. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health-related admissions at a large university health system in North Carolina - one year into the pandemic. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293831. [PMID: 38127858 PMCID: PMC10734981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Pandemic-associated stress may have exacerbated preexisting mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) and caused new MH/SUD diagnoses which would be expected to lead to an increase in visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for these conditions. This study assessed whether the proportion of hospital and emergency department encounters for MH/SUD diagnoses increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. METHODS We conducted a longitudinal (interrupted time series) analysis of 994,724 eligible encounters identified by electronic query between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2021. Of these, 55,574 encounters involved MH/SUD diagnosis. The pre-pandemic period was defined as January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2020, and the pandemic period was defined as April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. All statistical analyses were performed with R. RESULTS No significant trend in MH/SUD encounters at baseline (rate ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.01, p = 0.75) was observed. However, the onset of the pandemic was temporally associated with a significant level increase in the proportion of MH/SUD encounters relative to overall encounters (rate ratio 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.21, p<0.001) with no change in the overall trend (rate ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.90-1.10, p = 0.89). CONCLUSIONS The significant pandemic-associated increase in the proportion of MH/SUD encounters relative to overall encounters was driven largely by sustained numbers of MH/ SUD encounters despite a decrease in total encounters. Increased support for mental health care is needed for these vulnerable patients during pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Der
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nicole Helmke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jason E. Stout
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nicholas A. Turner
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
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Achavanuntakul C, Mahawongkajit P, Orrapin S, Auksornchat K, Boonyasatid P, Waewsri N, Moriguchi A, Kanlerd A. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence, Severity, and Management of Acute Appendicitis: A Single Center Experience in Thailand. Emerg Med Int 2022; 2022:8324716. [PMID: 36467864 PMCID: PMC9715343 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8324716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE For more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic, human lives have changed, including the healthcare system. Management of acute appendicitis, the most common emergency surgical disease, has been inevitably affected. This study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incident rate of complicated appendicitis, management, outcome, and complication of acute appendicitis. Patients and Methods. This study was a retrospective cohort study comparing 574 patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis before the COVID-19 outbreak and 434 patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 outbreak. Patient demographic data, type of appendicitis, type of treatment, time to surgery, length of stay, cost, and complications were collected and analyzed. RESULTS During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis was reduced. CT scan usage for diagnosis was increased compared to pre-COVID-19. Most patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis received operative treatment in both groups. Median time to surgery was significantly longer during the COVID-19 pandemic, 11.93 hours compared to 9.62 hours pre-COVID-19, p-value <0.001 (relative risk 1.5, 95% CI 1.29-1.76, p value 0.041). The incidence of complicated appendicitis was not higher during COVID-19. Compared to pre-COVID-19, ICU admission rate, the use of a mechanical ventilator, length of stay, and cost increased in the univariate analysis but were not statistically significant in the multivariate analyses. Other treatment complications had no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION The incidence of complicated appendicitis did not increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. The operation waiting time significantly increased but did not increase the rate of treatment complications in a well-prepared hospital system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chompoonut Achavanuntakul
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Prasit Mahawongkajit
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Saritphat Orrapin
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Karikarn Auksornchat
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Piyapong Boonyasatid
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Nichakarn Waewsri
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Alisa Moriguchi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Amonpon Kanlerd
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathumthani, Thailand
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Khaleghian M, Tizmaghz A, Rezaei-Tavirani M, Abbasi MA, Montazer F, Shabestanipour G, Alamoutifard E, Tayebi A, Olamaeian F. Histopathologic Changes of Appendicitis Stage During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2022; 36:140. [PMID: 36479536 PMCID: PMC9719579 DOI: 10.47176/mjiri.36.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: We decided to compare the pathology stage of appendicitis in patients referred to Firoozabadi Medical Center before and after the official announcement of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran because we believe that people's fears of COVID-19 are keeping them away from hospitals and it likely causes them to come in later stages of the disease. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stage of appendicitis at presentation. Methods: In this retrospective study, histopathology records of all acute appendicitis patients who underwent an emergency appendectomy in the surgical unit in our institute between December 2019 and April 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. The study period was designed to include 2 months before and 2 months after the officially announced onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran on February 20, 2020. All cases of complicated appendicitis (perforated appendicitis, phlegmonous appendix, itis or abscess) were excluded. Descriptive statistics were used to describe our study variables. Furthermore, ordinal logistic regression was used to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and demographic variables on the stage of appendicitis at presentation. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics Version 22. Results: The study was conducted on 170 clinically diagnosed acute appendicitis patients. The odds ratio for gender was equal to 0.45 (0.23, 0.86), which means that women presented at an earlier pathological stage than men ( p = 0.016). Also, patients who had health insurance were 50% less likely to present in later pathological stages than those who did not ( p = 0.024). The COVID-19 outback did not have a significant role in the pathological stage at presentation ( p = 0.235). Conclusion: The number of appendicitis patients was down by about 50% following the outbreak announcement in Iran. Surprisingly, we did not find any significant changes in the distribution pattern of appendicitis pathological staging after the outbreak. Being uninsured and male sex were found to have the most significant roles in delayed hospital presentation and higher pathological stages in patients with acute appendicitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Khaleghian
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Adnan Tizmaghz
- Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
, Corresponding author:
Adnan Tizmaghz,
| | - Majid Rezaei-Tavirani
- Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Amin Abbasi
- Firoozabadi Clinical Research Development Unit (FCRDU), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Montazer
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | - Ali Tayebi
- Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Faranak Olamaeian
- Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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An S, Kim HR, Jang S, Kim K. The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease - 19 Pandemic on the Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Adult Patients with Acute Appendicitis. Front Surg 2022; 9:878534. [PMID: 35433818 PMCID: PMC9009369 DOI: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.878534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the characteristics, severity, and treatment of adult patients with acute appendicitis in Korea over a 2-year period during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic compared to those before the pandemic. We also investigated whether there were any changes in clinical characteristics of acute appendicitis before and after vaccination against the coronavirus.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with acute appendicitis at our institution between March 1, 2019, and August 31, 2021. We divided the patients into three groups (pre-pandemic, before vaccination, and after vaccination) and analyzed the clinical outcomes.ResultsThe time from symptom onset to hospital arrival and the time from symptom onset to operation increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. The rate of complicated appendicitis during the pandemic was higher than that before the pandemic. In addition, the number of new daily cases showed a positive correlation with the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival (OR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.04; P < 0.001) and complicated appendicitis (OR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.001–1.002; P = 0.0017). The vaccination rate showed a negative correlation with the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival (OR, −2.26; 95% CI, −3.42 to −1.11; P < 0.001) and complicated appendicitis (OR, 0.915; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.996; P = 0.0404).ConclusionsEmploying hospital-wide efforts, such as screening by rapid PCR testing, to avoid further time delays, and nationwide efforts, such as vaccination, to shorten the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival, are necessary to maintain the quality of treatment of acute appendicitis during an infectious disease pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyun An
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
| | - Hae-Rim Kim
- College of Natural Science, School of Statistics, University of Seoul, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sungwoo Jang
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
| | - Kwangmin Kim
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
- Correspondence: Kwangmin Kim
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Pata F, Di Martino M, Podda M, Di Saverio S, Ielpo B, Pellino G. Evolving Trends in the Management of Acute Appendicitis During COVID-19 Waves: The ACIE Appy II Study. World J Surg 2022; 46:2021-2035. [PMID: 35810215 PMCID: PMC9332068 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-022-06649-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. METHODS From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. RESULTS A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. CONCLUSION Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Pata
- General Surgery Unit, UOC di Chirurgia, Nicola Giannettasio Hospital, Via Ippocrate, 87064, Corigliano-Rossano, CS, Italy.
- La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
| | - Marcello Di Martino
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplantation Surgery, A.O.R.N. Cardarelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Mauro Podda
- Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Salomone Di Saverio
- Department of Surgery, Madonna del Soccorso General Hospital, San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy
| | - Benedetto Ielpo
- Hepatobiliary division, Hospital del Mar, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gianluca Pellino
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, Universitá degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Policlinico CS, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138, Naples, Italy.
- Colorectal Surgery, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.
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Siegel R, Hohenstein S, Anders S, Strik M, Kuhlen R, Bollmann A. Access to Surgery and Quality of Care for Acute Cholecystitis During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 and 2021 - an Analysis of 12,545 Patients from a German-Wide Hospital Network. J Gastrointest Surg 2022; 26:1462-1471. [PMID: 35445322 PMCID: PMC9020554 DOI: 10.1007/s11605-022-05318-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine effects on admission, treatment, and outcome for acute cholecystitis during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. METHODS Retrospective analysis of claims data from 74 German hospitals. Study periods were defined from March 5, 2020 (start of first wave) to June 20, 2021 (end of third wave) and compared to corresponding control periods (March 2018 to February 2020). All in-patients with acute cholecystitis were included. Distribution of cases, type of surgery, comorbidities, surgical outcome, and length of stay of all cases with acute cholecystitis and cholecystectomy were compared. In addition, we analyzed the type of treatment (non-surgical, cholecystostomy, or cholecystectomy) for all cases with main diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. RESULTS We could not demonstrate differences in daily admissions over the course of the pandemic (11.2-12.7 patients vs. 11.9-12.6 patients for control periods). Proportion of patients with non-surgical treatment was low and not increased (11.7-17.3% vs. 14.5-18.4%). Cholecystostomy was rare throughout all periods (0-0.5% of all patients). We did not observe an increase in open surgery (proportion of open cholecystectomies 3.4-5.5%). Mortality was generally low (1.5-1.9%) with no differences between periods. Median length of stay was 4 days throughout all periods. CONCLUSION The numerous restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in an increase of admissions or surgery for acute cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been safely applied during the pandemic. Our results may assure the ability to maintain high quality of surgical care even in times of disruptions to the health care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Siegel
- grid.412581.b0000 0000 9024 6397Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany ,grid.491869.b0000 0000 8778 9382Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Schwanebecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Hohenstein
- grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig and Leipzig Heart Institute, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Anders
- grid.491869.b0000 0000 8778 9382Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Schwanebecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Strik
- grid.491869.b0000 0000 8778 9382Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch, Schwanebecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Bollmann
- grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig and Leipzig Heart Institute, Leipzig, Germany
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Impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of CT-diagnosed appendicitis and its complications in the UK and Sweden. Int J Colorectal Dis 2022; 37:1375-1383. [PMID: 35575916 PMCID: PMC9108134 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-022-04181-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM To compare the number of appendicitis cases and its complications, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden and the UK and the corresponding time period in 2019. METHOD Reports of emergency abdominopelvic CT performed at 56 Swedish hospitals and 38 British hospitals between April and July 2020 and a corresponding control cohort from 2019 were reviewed. Two radiologists and two surgeons blinded to the date of cohorts analyzed all reports for diagnosis of appendicitis, perforation, and abscess. A random selection of cases was chosen for the measurement of inter-rater agreement. RESULT Both in Sweden (6111) and the UK (5591) fewer, abdominopelvic CT scans were done in 2020 compared to 2019 (6433 and 7223, respectively); p < 0.001. In the UK, the number of appendicitis was 36% lower in April-June 2020 compared to 2019 but not in Sweden. Among the appendicitis cases, there was a higher number of perforations and abscesses in 2020, in Sweden. In the UK, the number of perforations and abscesses were initially lower (April-June 2020) but increased in July 2020. There was a substantial inter-rater agreement for the diagnosis of perforations and abscess formations (K = 0.64 and 0.77). CONCLUSION In Sweden, the number of appendicitis was not different between 2019 and 2020; however, there was an increase of complications. In the UK, there was a significant decrease of cases in 2020. The prevalence of complications was lower initially but increased in July. These findings suggest variability in delay in diagnosis of appendicitis depending on the country and time frame studied.
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