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Huang SY, Chou CM, Chen HC. Impact of COVID-19 on pediatric surgical practice in Taiwan: a comprehensive analysis. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1354576. [PMID: 38694725 PMCID: PMC11061369 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1354576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global healthcare systems, causing significant disruptions in various medical practices. This study focuses on the specific effects of the pandemic on pediatric surgical practice in Taiwan, a region known for its effective public health measures and proximity to the initial outbreak. Methods The study analyzes data from January 2020 to August 2022, comparing it with historical records from January 2017 to August 2019. It examines changes in surgical case volumes, patient demographics, surgical indications, and trends in preoperative evaluations, surgical procedures, and postoperative care. Results The study reveals a decrease in total surgical cases from 2,255 to 1,931 during the pandemic. Notable findings include a slight increase in the average age of patients (4.81 to 5.10 years, p = 0.064), a significant shift in gender distribution towards male patients (68.9% to 73.5%, p = 0.0009), and changes in the types of surgical procedures performed, with head and neck and gastrointestinal surgeries seeing an increase. The average hospital stay lengthened, and certain specific surgical diseases, like hypospadias and liver tumors, showed an increase. However, the age distribution of pediatric surgical patients remained stable, and emergency surgical care was resiliently maintained. Discussion The findings demonstrate the adaptability of Taiwan's healthcare system in maintaining pediatric surgical care during the pandemic. The study highlights a significant gender disparity in surgical interventions and a shift towards more urgent and emergent care, reflecting the reorganization of healthcare services during this period. The study's limitations include its retrospective nature and focus on a single institution. Conclusion This research contributes valuable insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric surgical practice in Taiwan. It underscores the importance of adaptable healthcare strategies in ensuring continuity and quality of care during public health emergencies. Future research should focus on multi-institutional data and prospective studies to further understand these dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Yang Huang
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Man Chou
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Hou-Chuan Chen
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
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Amoo M, Henry J, O'Halloran PJ, Brennan P, Husien MB, Campbell M, Caird J, Javadpour M, Curley GF. S100B, GFAP, UCH-L1 and NSE as predictors of abnormalities on CT imaging following mild traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. Neurosurg Rev 2021; 45:1171-1193. [PMID: 34709508 DOI: 10.1007/s10143-021-01678-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Biomarkers such as calcium channel binding protein S100 subunit beta (S100B), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) have been proposed to aid in screening patients presenting with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). As such, we aimed to characterise their accuracy at various thresholds. MEDLINE, SCOPUS and EMBASE were searched, and articles reporting the diagnostic performance of included biomarkers were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-II criteria. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the predictive value of biomarkers for imaging abnormalities on CT. A total of 2939 citations were identified, and 38 studies were included. Thirty-two studies reported data for S100B. At its conventional threshold of 0.1 μg/L, S100B had a pooled sensitivity of 91% (95%CI 87-94) and a specificity of 30% (95%CI 26-34). The optimal threshold for S100B was 0.72 μg/L, with a sensitivity of 61% (95% CI 50-72) and a specificity of 69% (95% CI 64-74). Nine studies reported data for GFAP. The optimal threshold for GFAP was 626 pg/mL, at which the sensitivity was 71% (95%CI 41-91) and specificity was 71% (95%CI 43-90). Sensitivity of GFAP was maximised at a threshold of 22 pg/mL, which had a sensitivity of 93% (95%CI 73-99) and a specificity of 36% (95%CI 12-68%). Three studies reported data for NSE and two studies for UCH-L1, which precluded meta-analysis. There is evidence to support the use of S100B as a screening tool in mild TBI, and potential advantages to the use of GFAP, which requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Amoo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. .,National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. .,Beacon Academy, Beacon Hospital, Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland.
| | - Jack Henry
- National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.,School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Philip J O'Halloran
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Paul Brennan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of Radiology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Mohammed Ben Husien
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.,National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Matthew Campbell
- Department of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - John Caird
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.,National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Mohsen Javadpour
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.,National Neurosurgical Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland.,Department of Academic Neurology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Gerard F Curley
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
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Tarun V, Anurag T, Yugal K, Raj K, Lalit M. Orthopaedic operating room considerations in covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 8:91-95. [PMID: 34307063 PMCID: PMC7900750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jajs.2021.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Worldwide COVID 19 has affected the medical practices and Orthopaedics is not any different. Despite risk, the surgeons cannot deny the surgical procedure on patients with suspected or confirmed COVID 19 infection. The purpose of this manuscript is to review various operating room measures which are recommended and being followed to carry out orthopaedic surgeries in the current scenario of COVID 19 pandemic. The information would be useful for orthopaedic surgeons to carry out safe surgical practice for reducing the transmission of COVID 19 infection. Method ology: A systematic literature search was performed using search engines- PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus from January to August 2020 for relevant research articles. The keywords utilized for systematic literature search were "COVID 19", "Corona virus" and "Operating room", "Orthopaedic procedure" in 4 combinations. Duplicates were excluded. Further sorting was done according to the pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Original articles pertaining to orthopaedic surgery and operating room in COVID 19 and available in English language were included. Editorials, case reports, other speciality articles were excluded. Results 16 articles were finally included in review after screening for titles, abstracts and full texts. The information obtained is presented as a narrative review. Conclusion Various important recommendations include use of negative pressure OR, HEPA filters, dedicated separate OR for COVID positive and suspected patients with well defined separate corridors for transport, avoid AGP wherever possible, minimize the number of assistants and staff and follow strict sanitation protocols after each surgery. A well planned systematic approach is warranted to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID 19 while carrying out orthopaedic surgeries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verma Tarun
- Department of Orthopaedics, Medical College Baroda and SSG Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Tiwari Anurag
- Department of Orthopaedics, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, India
| | - Karkhur Yugal
- Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, Managing Head- Orthopaedic Services, Orthocure Clinics Pvt Ltd, Gurugram, India
| | - Kumar Raj
- Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Maini Lalit
- Department of Orthopaedics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India
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