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. 2022 Jun 8;13(3):398-402.
doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1744472. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Effects of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Service: Perspective from a Tertiary Medical Center in Nigeria

Chibuikem A Ikwuegbuenyi  1 , Shashank N Patil  2   3 , James W Nie  1   2 , Olufemi B Bankole  3 , Ankit I Mehta  1   2
Affiliations

Effects of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Service: Perspective from a Tertiary Medical Center in Nigeria

Chibuikem A Ikwuegbuenyi et al. J Neurosci Rural Pract. .

Abstract

Background The outbreak of COVID-19 caused a significant impact on neurosurgical case volume in Nigeria due to the widespread recommendation to minimize elective procedures and redistribute healthcare resources to support COVID-19 patients. This study aims to analyze the effect of COVID-19 in one tertiary care Nigerian hospital on the demographic characteristics, diagnostic classes, and elective/non-elective procedure statuses. Methods A retrospective single-center chart review study was conducted to review all patients undergoing a neurosurgical procedure between March to June in 2019 and 2020. Descriptive data on patient age, gender, sex, diagnosis, surgical procedure, elective/non-elective surgery status, and month and year of admission were recorded. Diagnoses were categorized into one of seven types by author review. Pearson's Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact Tests were utilized to test for independence of the categorical variables to the year of patient admission, and a Welch two-sample t-test was used to test for a significant difference in mean age between the two cohorts. Results A total of 143 cases were reviewed. There was a 59.8% reduction in overall neurosurgical case volume with an 82% reduction in elective procedures (39 vs. 7, p = 0.017, 95% CI: 1.15 - 8.77) between 2019 and 2020. No significant differences were noted in patient cohorts when comparing demographic characteristics, diagnosis type, or month of admission between the two years. Conclusion There was a significant reduction in elective neurosurgical procedures during the early months of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Further studies should consider examining the effects of COVID-19 into 2021.

Keywords: COVID-19; Nigeria; demographic; elective; emergent; neurosurgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Case volume between 2019 and 2020 separated by month.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Diagnosis type between 2019 and 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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