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. 2021 Apr;67(2):99-103.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2021.01.009. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

Investigating the real impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the daily neurosurgical practice?

G Dannhoff  1 , H Cebula  2 , S Chibbaro  2 , M Ganau  2 , J Todeschi  2 , C-H Mallereau  2 , J Pottecher  3 , F Proust  2 , I Ollivier  2
Affiliations

Investigating the real impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the daily neurosurgical practice?

G Dannhoff et al. Neurochirurgie. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to relate the neurosurgical activity during a time of sanitary crisis such as experienced during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: A monocentric retrospective analysis was made based on a prospectively gathered cohort of all patients requiring neurosurgical care between March 15th and May 12th, 2020. Local impact of SARS-CoV-2 was analysed regarding number of patients admitted in ICU.

Results: One hundred and sixty patients could benefit from neurosurgical care with a wide-ranging profile of clinical and surgical activities performed during the study that seemed similar to last year profile activity. Surgical indications were restricted to non-deferrable surgeries, leading to a drop in operative volume of 50%. Only 1.3% of patients required transfer to other units due to the impossibility of providing gold standard neurosurgical care in our centre.

Conclusion: Despite the challenges represented by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was proven possible to ensure the routine neurosurgical continuity and provide high standards of neurosurgical care without compromising patients' access to the required treatments.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Emergency; Neurosurgery; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; Surgical practice.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) each day from March 15th to May 12th, 2020. Patients were classified according to their COVID-positive (blue) or COVID-negative (red) status. The dotted line represents the usual ICU capacity of our institution (90 beds).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Direct comparison of neurosurgical activity performed during the 2 different period: 2020 (lock down) and 2019 by pathologies, number of patients and their proportion. Patients from 2020 are represented by blue bars, patients from 2019 by red bars.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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