AI Insight
This retrospective audit of 356 surgical intensive care unit patients examined whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and outcomes at a single center, using March 1, 2020 as the dividing date. The study found that post-COVID patients were significantly older (54.2 vs 48.3 years), and the surgical case-mix shifted from elective procedures like appendectomies and bariatric surgery toward emergency open surgeries, particularly exploratory laparotomies. Despite these changes in patient demographics and procedure types, mortality rates and overall clinical outcomes remained statistically unchanged between the pre-COVID and post-COVID periods.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that surgical intensive care units successfully maintained quality of care during the pandemic despite significant disruptions to elective surgical services and changes in patient populations. Understanding these patterns helps healthcare systems prepare for future public health emergencies and optimize resource allocation during crises.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
This audit aimed to determine whether the pattern of presenting abdominal pathology, procedures performed, and clinical outcomes in our surgical intensive care unit (SICU) changed during the COVID-19 period. We reviewed a total of 356 patients who were admitted to the SICU with 1st March 2020 taken as the reference cutoff date. Two hundred and five (57.6%) cases occurred in the Pre-COVID interval and 151 (42.4%) in the Post-COVID interval. Patients admitted to SICU Post-COVID were significantly older than those admitted Pre-COVID (54.2 vs. 48.3 years, p = 0.005). Hospital and SICU length of stay were unchanged across the pandemic (p = 0.824 and 0.601 respectively). The procedure case-mix shifted significantly (p = 0.014): appendectomy, gastrectomy/sleeve gastrectomy and thoracic procedures fell, while exploratory laparotomy rose, consistent with reduced elective/minimally-invasive activity and a shift toward emergency open surgery. Appendiceal disease was recorded significantly less often as the presenting diagnosis Post-COVID (p = 0.016), and intestinal obstruction showed a non-significant upward trend (p = 0.071). SICU mortality and overall admission outcome were unchanged across the pandemic (p = 1.000 and 0.664).