ANALYZING OF EMERGENCY APPENDICITIS ADMISSIONS DURING THE COVID-19 LOCK-DOWN IN AN EMERGENCY SURGICAL CORONA CENTER

Abstract

ackground: COVID-19 pandemic restrictive measures and the fear of the disease, made a lot of changes in correlation to other actual illnesses. In particular, acute appendicitis as a medical emergency that need fast evaluation and surgery, but still some other medical and non-medical factors influenced its emergency treatment during COVID-19. These factors may also indirectly influence the patients’ outcome. Aim: This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical patterns and outcome of patients who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis during the pandemics. Materials and Methods: In a retrospective manner, data from all patients admitted and surgically treated for acute appendicitis in the General City Hospital “8th of September” (surgi- cal COVID – 19 center in Macedonia) during the period from March 2020 to April 2021, was obtained. Patients according to their PCRs were divided in three groups: COVID-19 negative, COVID-19 positive and post – COVID-19 group. In all patients we analyzed: the type of surgery done, duration of COVID-19 symptoms, duration of surgery, pathohistological findings, need and duration for ICU treatment, hospital stay and mortality. Results: During this period a total of 52 patients underwent appendectomy. Significantly large number of patients underwent open appendectomy. The pathohistological findings showed significantly higher number of perforated appendixes in all groups. Patients from the COVID-19 positive and post-COVID-19 group had longer ICU stay and mortality. Conclusion: Our study analyses showed that during COVID-19 pandemics in our center, patients with appendicitis had higher incidence of perforated appendix, longer length of hospital stay and increased rate of complications.