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Axenhus M, Schedin-Weiss S, Tjernberg L, Winblad B. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on neurosurgery in the elderly population in Sweden. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:823. [PMID: 38491396 PMCID: PMC10941451 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18332-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a refocus of health care resources to acute care which has impacted on the capacity of healthcare systems to conduct neurological surgeries. The elderly population has been shown to be particularly vulnerable to the consequences of the pandemic. Less neurosurgery can result in great impact on public health by increasing morbidity and mortality in patients with malignancies and traumatic injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on neurosurgical procedures in the elderly population in Sweden. METHODS In this retrospective observational study, the reported incidence of all neurosurgical procedures registered in the 21 Regions of Sweden during 2015-2021 in people aged 65 year or older was collected. Surgical procedures were classified according to the NOMESCO system of classification. Neurosurgery incidence was defined as the number of NOMESCO associated interventions per 100.000 inhabitants. ICD-10 codes associated with neurosurgery-related diagnoses and deaths were also collected. Expected incidence of neurosurgery, neurosurgery-associated deaths and brain cancer diagnoses was estimated and compared to actual outcomes. Decrease in the incidence of neurosurgery was compared to regional COVID-19 incidence, other types of surgery and surgery waiting times. RESULTS The incidence of several categories of neurosurgery decreased in Sweden during 2020 and 2021, although not as much as other surgical categories. Women were more affected than men by the decrease in neurosurgery which could be partly explained by a decrease in brain cancer diagnoses amongst women. There was an association between regional decrease in neurosurgery incidence and longer surgery waiting time. COVID-19 incidence in the region did not have an effect on regional decreases in neurosurgery incidence. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a reduction in the number of neurosurgical procedures performed in Sweden during 2020-2021, although not as much as in other European countries. There was regional difference in Sweden with respect to number of surgeries, and waiting time for elective surgeries although there was no increase in mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Axenhus
- Department of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sophia Schedin-Weiss
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Tjernberg
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bengt Winblad
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
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Munda M, Velnar T, Bosnjak R, Zele T, Gradisnik L, Spazzapan P, Kos N, Kocivnik N, Benedicic M, Prestor B. COVID-19 and Surgical Practice in Slovenia: Managing the Crisis in Neurosurgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2095. [PMID: 37895476 PMCID: PMC10608538 DOI: 10.3390/life13102095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant threat to global health. Worldwide, COVID-19 has affected the health service also in Slovenia. During this time, neurosurgery is facing difficulties in its service, both in emergency and elective surgeries. In the article, we describe the anti-COVID-19 measures taken at our neurosurgical department in a medical centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and analysed and compared the number of emergency and elective neurosurgical procedures during the time of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matic Munda
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
| | - Tomaz Velnar
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
- AMEU-ECM Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Roman Bosnjak
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
| | - Tilen Zele
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
- AMEU-ECM Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Lidija Gradisnik
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Medical Faculty Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
| | - Peter Spazzapan
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
| | - Natasa Kos
- AMEU-ECM Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia;
- Department of Rehabilitation, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Kocivnik
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Mitja Benedicic
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
| | - Borut Prestor
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.M.); (R.B.); (T.Z.); (P.S.); (M.B.); (B.P.)
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Gheewala H, Aldergham M, Rosahl S, Stoffel M, Ryang YM, Heese O, Gerlach R, Burger R, Carl B, Kristof RA, Westermaier T, Terzis J, Youssef F, Gonzalez GR, Bold F, Allam A, Kuhlen R, Hohenstein S, Bollmann A, Dengler J. Decompressive Surgery in the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke during the First Four Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study. J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2023. [PMID: 37595628 DOI: 10.1055/a-2156-5363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected acute ischemic stroke (AIS) care. In this study, we examined the effects of the pandemic on neurosurgical AIS care by means of decompressive surgery (DS). METHODS In this retrospective observational study, we compared the characteristics, in-hospital processes, and in-hospital mortality rates among patients hospitalized for AIS during the first four waves of the pandemic (between January 1, 2020 and October 26, 2021) versus the corresponding periods in 2019 (prepandemic). We used administrative data from a nationwide hospital network in Germany. RESULTS Of the 177 included AIS cases with DS, 60 were from 2019 and 117 from the first four pandemic waves. Compared with the prepandemic levels, there were no changes in weekly admissions for DS during the pandemic. The same was true for patient age (range: 51.7-60.4 years), the number of female patients (range: 33.3-57.1%), and the prevalence of comorbidity, as measured by the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (range: 13.2-20.0 points). Also, no alterations were observed in transfer to the intensive care unit (range: 87.0-100%), duration of in-hospital stay (range: 14.6-22.7 days), and in-hospital mortality rates (range: 11.8-55.6%). CONCLUSION In Germany, compared with the prepandemic levels, AIS patients undergoing DS during the first four waves of the pandemic showed no changes in demographics, rates of comorbidity, and in-hospital mortality rates. This is in contrast to previous evidence on patients with less critical types of AIS not requiring DS and underlines the uniqueness of the subgroup of AIS patients requiring DS. Our findings suggests that these patients, in contrast to AIS patients in general, were unable to forgo hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining the delivery of DS is an essential aspect of AIS care during a pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussain Gheewala
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
| | - Muath Aldergham
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Vascular Surgery, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
| | - Steffen Rosahl
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
| | - Michael Stoffel
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Krefeld, Krefeld, Germany
| | - Yu-Mi Ryang
- Department of Neurosurgery and Center for Spine Therapy, HELIOS Hospital Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Heese
- Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery, HELIOS Hospital Schwerin - University Campus of MSH Medical School Hamburg, Schwerin, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Gerlach
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
| | - Ralf Burger
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Uelzen, Uelzen, Germany
| | - Barbara Carl
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (MCMBB), Marburg, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken, Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - Rudolf A Kristof
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Meiningen, Meiningen, Germany
| | | | - Jorge Terzis
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Farid Youssef
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Plauen, Plauen, Germany
| | - Gerardo Rico Gonzalez
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
| | - Frederic Bold
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
| | - Ali Allam
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
| | | | - Sven Hohenstein
- Real World Evidence and Health Technology Assessment, Helios Health Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Bollmann
- Real World Evidence and Health Technology Assessment, Helios Health Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julius Dengler
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Campus Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, HELIOS Hospital Bad Saarow, Bad Saarow, Germany
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Soto Hernández JL, González LER, Ramírez GR, Hernández CH, Torreblanca NR, Morales VÁ, Moreno KF, Peek MR, Jiménez SM. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Postoperative Neurosurgical Infections at a Reference Center in México. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1055. [PMID: 37370372 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12061055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major global impact on the treatment of hospitalized surgical patients. Our study retrospectively evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at a neurosurgical reference center in Mexico City. We compared the number of neurosurgeries, the rate and type of postoperative infections, the causative microorganisms and in-hospital mortality rates in a 4-year period, from the pre-pandemic year 2019 until 2022. A total of 4150 neurosurgical procedures were registered. In 2020 the total number of surgeries was reduced by 36% compared to 2019 OR = 0.689 (95% CI 0.566-0.834) p ≤ 0.001, transnasal/trans sphenoidal pituitary resections decreased by 53%, and spinal surgeries by 52%. The rate of neurosurgical infections increased from 3.5% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020 (p = 0.002). Regarding the microorganisms that caused infections, gram positive cocci accounted for 43.5% of isolates, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. caused one third of the infections. No significant differences were found for in-hospital mortality nor patterns of resistance to antibiotics. The number of surgeries increased in the last two years, although the infection rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels. We observed a lower impact from subsequent waves of COVID-19 and despite an increase in the number of surgeries, the surgeries have not amounted to the full pre-pandemic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Luis Soto Hernández
- Infectious Diseases Department, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Luis Esteban Ramírez González
- Infectious Diseases Department, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Guadalupe Reyes Ramírez
- Infection Control Committee, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Carolina Hernández Hernández
- Infection Control Committee, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Natalia Rangel Torreblanca
- Infection Control Committee, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Verónica Ángeles Morales
- Microbiology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Karen Flores Moreno
- Microbiology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Miguel Ramos Peek
- Neurosurgery Division, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
| | - Sergio Moreno Jiménez
- Neurosurgery Division, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14269, Mexico
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Impact of COVID-19 on Intracranial Meningioma Resection: Results from California State Inpatient Database. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194785. [PMID: 36230707 PMCID: PMC9563583 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary All fields of healthcare were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we sought to understand the effects of COVID-19 on hospitalizations for intracranial meningioma resection using a large database. We compared hospitalization rates as well as hospital outcomes such as Clavien–Dindo grade IV complications, in-hospital mortality, and prolonged length of stay for intracranial meningioma resection during 2019 and 2020. Our findings showed that though hospitalization rates decreased slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital outcomes were not adversely affected. The findings of our study show that with adequate planning and preparations, better hospital outcomes could be sustained even during healthcare emergencies such as COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings assure that neurosurgery practice in the US ensured the best quality of care to their patients even during COVID-19 pandemic. Abstract Purpose: To assess the effects of COVID-19 on hospitalizations for intracranial meningioma resection using a large database. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the California State Inpatient Database (SID) 2019 and 2020. All adult (18 years or older) hospitalizations were included for the analysis. The primary outcomes were trends in hospitalization for intracranial meningioma resection between 2019 and 2020. Secondary outcomes were Clavien–Dindo grade IV complications, in-hospital mortality, and prolonged length of stay, which was defined as length of stay ≥75 percentile. Results: There were 3,173,333 and 2,866,161 hospitalizations in 2019 and 2020, respectively (relative decrease, 9.7%), of which 921 and 788 underwent intracranial meningioma resection (relative decrease, 14.4%). In 2020, there were 94,114 admissions for COVID-19 treatment. Logistic regression analysis showed that year in which intracranial meningioma resection was performed did not show significant association with Clavien–Dindo grade IV complications and in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.23, 95% CI: 0.78–1.94) and prolonged length of stay (OR, 1.05, 95% CI: 0.84–1.32). Conclusion: Our findings show that neurosurgery practice in the US successfully adapted to the unforeseen challenges posed by COVD-19 and ensured the best quality of care to the patients.
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Velnar T, Bosnjak R. Management of neurosurgical patients during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemics: The Ljubljana, Slovenia experience. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:4726-4736. [PMID: 35801036 PMCID: PMC9198871 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i15.4726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. It bears unique biological characteristics, clinical symptoms and imaging manifestations, therefore presenting an important and urgent threat to global health. As a result, a new public health crisis arose, threatening the world with the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus. Despite the maximal worldwide public health responses aimed at containing the disease and delaying its spread, many countries have been confronted with a critical care crisis, and even more, countries will almost certainly follow. In Slovenia, the COVID-19 has struck the health system immensely and among all the specialities, neurosurgery has also been experiencing difficulties in the service, not only in regular, elective surgeries but especially during emergencies. The management of these neurosurgical patients has become more difficult than ever. We describe our protocol in the management of neurosurgical patients in the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia and how neurosurgical pathology was tackled during the pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomaz Velnar
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Roman Bosnjak
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
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