Letter to the Editor Regarding "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Neurosurgery: Literature and Neurosurgical Societies Recommendations Update"

Impact of COVID-19 on the Neurosurgical Resident Training Program: an Early Experience

BACKGROUND

 The present study evaluates the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the first lockdown period in spring 2020 on the neurosurgical resident training program, and provides constructive approaches to deal with such situations.

METHODS

 A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was used. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews from all neurosurgical residents at three university hospitals in Germany. Concurrently, quantitative data of the number of performed surgeries, outpatient visits, and the usage of telemedicine in the period from October 2019 to July 2020 were collected and analyzed accordingly.

RESULTS

 During the period of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in spring 2020, there was a marked reduction in the number of surgeries performed by neurosurgical residents, from an average of 41.26 (median 41) surgeries per month to 25.66 (median 24) per month, representing a decrease of 37.80%. The decrease in the operations was concerning mainly spinal and functional surgery. Outpatient visits were reduced significantly, with a concurrent fivefold increase in the usage of telemedicine. General and pediatric neurosurgery outpatient clinics were the most affected. However, although surgical exposure was reduced during the lockdown phase, neurosurgical residents focused on conducting research and improving theoretical knowledge. Nevertheless, the global uncertainties caused by COVID-19 generated notable psychological stress among some residents.

CONCLUSIONS

 The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions significantly affected the neurosurgical training program. Innovative solutions need to be developed to increase teaching and research capacities of neurosurgical residents as well as to improve surgical skills by installing surgical skill laboratories or similar constructs.

The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Neurosurgical Practice and Feasibility of Safe Resumption of Elective Procedures During this Era in a Large Referral Center in Tehran, Iran: An Unmatched Case-Control Study

Objective

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has considerably affected surgical practice. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the pandemic on neurosurgical practice and the safety of the resumption of elective procedures through implementing screening protocols in a high-volume academic public center in Iran, as one of the countries severely affected by the pandemic.

Methods

This unmatched case-control study compared 2 populations of patients who underwent neurosurgical procedures between June 1, 2019 and September 1, 2019 and the same period in 2020. In the prospective part of the study, patients who underwent elective procedures were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection postoperatively to evaluate the viability of our screening protocol.

Results

Elective and emergency procedures showed significant reduction during the pandemic (59.4%, n = 168 vs. 71.3%, n = 380) and increase (28.7%, n = 153 vs. 40.6%, n = 115, respectively; P = 0.003). The proportional distribution of neurosurgical categories remained unchanged during the pandemic. Poisson regression showed that the reduction in total daily admissions and some categories, including spine, trauma, oncology, and infection were significantly correlated with the pandemic. Among patients who underwent elective procedures, 0 (0.0%) and 26 (16.25%) had positive test results on days 30 and 60 postoperatively, respectively. Overall mortality was comparable between the pre–COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, yet patients with concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection showed substantially higher mortality (65%).

Conclusions

By implementing safety and screening protocols with proper resource allocation, the emergency care capacity can be maintained and the risk minimized of hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection, complications, and mortality among neurosurgical patients during the pandemic. Similarly, for elective procedures, according to available resources, hospital beds can be allocated for patients with a higher risk of delayed hospitalization and those who are concerned about the risk of hospital-acquired infection can be reassured.

Getting Neurosurgery Services Back on Its Feet: "Learning to Live" with COVID-19

Background:

Cancellation/postponement of ”non-emergent” surgeries during coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a huge backlog of patients waiting for surgery and has put them at risk of disease progression. We share our institute's policy and our department's attempt to resume ”non-emergent” surgeries.

Materials and Methods:

We collected details of all patients operated under department of neurosurgery since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in India and categorized them into ”lockdown” and ”unlock” groups for comparison. COVID-19 tests done in these patients were also analyzed. We also compared our surgical volume with the number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Results:

One hundred and forty-eight patients (97 males, 51 females) with mean age of 37.8 years (range-2 months-82 years) underwent surgery in our department during the study period. The operative volume per week increased by 37% during the ”unlock” period as compared to ”lockdown” period. The proportion of elective/”non-emergent” surgeries increased from 11.3% during ”lockdown” to 34.7% during the ”unlock” period (P = 0.0037). During ”lockdown” period, number of surgeries declined steadily as the number of COVID-19 cases rose in the state (rs(8) = −0.914, P = 0.000). Whereas there was a trend toward increased number of cases done per week despite increase in the number of cases in the state during the “unlock” period. During the ”unlocking” process, in-patient department admissions and surgeries performed per month increased (P = 0.0000) and this increase was uniform across all specialties. COVID-19 test was done (preoperatively or postoperatively) for all surgeries during ”unlock” period compared to 12 (22.6%) surgeries during ”lockdown” period. Three neurosurgery patients who underwent surgery during the ”unlock” period tested positive for COVID-19.

Conclusions:

Our experience shows that proper evidence-based protocols, setting up of adequate COVID-19 testing facilities and provision of ample personal protective equipments are instrumental in re-starting “nonemergent” surgeries.

Case Volumes and Perioperative Coronavirus Disease 2019 Incidence in Neurosurgical Patients During a Pandemic: Experiences at Two Tertiary Care Centers in Washington, DC

OBJECTIVE

The true incidence of perioperative coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not been well elucidated in neurosurgical studies. We reviewed the effects of the pandemic on the neurosurgical case volume to study the incidence of COVID-19 in patients undergoing these procedures during the perioperative period and compared the characteristics and outcomes of this group to those of patients without COVID-19.

METHODS

The neurosurgical and neurointerventional procedures at 2 tertiary care centers during the pandemic were reviewed. The case volume, type, and acuity were compared to those during the same period in 2019. The perioperative COVID-19 tests and results were evaluated to obtain the incidence. The baseline characteristics, including a modified Medically Necessary Time Sensitive (mMeNTS) score, and outcome measures were compared between those with and without COVID-19.

RESULTS

A total of 405 cases were reviewed, and a significant decrease was found in total spine, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and functional/pain cases. No significant differences were found in the number of cranial or neurointerventional cases. Of the 334 patients tested, 18 (5.4%) had tested positive for COVID-19. Five of these patients were diagnosed postoperatively. The mMeNTS score, complications, and case acuity were significantly different between the patients with and without COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

A small, but real, risk exists of perioperative COVID-19 in neurosurgical patients, and those patients have tended to have a greater complication rate. Use of the mMeNTS score might play a role in decision making for scheduling elective cases. Further studies are warranted to develop risk stratification and validate the incidence.