Acute appendicitis in children in the context of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)



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Abstract

Introduction. The first publications about acute appendicitis in the conditions of the new COVID-19 coronavirus infection have appeared. Most authors point to the increased time of seeking medical help in such patients and an increase in the level of postoperative complications.

Material and methods. A retrospective study of 192 case histories of patients aged 3 to 17 years with various forms of acute appendicitis who were treated in the surgical Department of the Republican children’s clinical hospital in the period from 2019 to November 2020 was conducted. Children operated on during 2019 before the start of the new coronavirus pandemic were included in the first group (n = 114). Children operated on in 2020 after the development of a new coronavirus pandemic were included in the second group (n = 78).

Results. The age of patients in both groups compared did not differ significantly. The course of the disease was within the average accumulated indicators and the terms of hospitalization did not change significantly. According to our observations, the time of admission to the surgical hospital from the time of the disease in the pre-coronavirus period and during it also did not differ significantly, which indicates that the same availability of medical care remains even during the epidemic. Our study also showed that the number of requests for complicated appendicitis in children during the COVID-19 epidemic even decreased, which ultimately led to a decrease in the level of postoperative complications. The study did not establish a significant difference between the main results of treatment of children with acute appendicitis before and during the new COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Only the level of postoperative complications significantly decreased in patients operated during the COVID-19 epidemic, which is associated with a lower admission of children with complicated appendicitis.

Conclusion. With the onset of the pandemic, the organization of medical care for the child population with acute pathology in the Komi Republic did not change and did not have any restrictions, which made it possible to maintain the timely provision of surgical care to children with acute appendicitis at the proper level.

About the authors

V. G. Svarich

State Institution "Republican Children's Clinical Hospital"; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University"

Author for correspondence.
Email: svarich61@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0126-3190

Vyacheslav G. Svarich, PhD, head of the surgical department

Syktyvkar, 167004, Russian Federation

Syktyvkar, 167001, Russian Federation

Россия

I. M. Kagantsov

State Institution "Republican Children's Clinical Hospital"; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University"; Federal state institution"Main Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise in the Republic of Komi" of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3957-1615

Syktyvkar, 167004, Russian Federation

Syktyvkar, 167001, Russian Federation

Syktyvkar, 167000, Russian Federation

Россия

V. A. Svarich

Federal state institution"Main Bureau of Medical and Social Expertise in the Republic of Komi" of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0858-1463

Syktyvkar, 167000, Russian Federation

Россия

E. G. Perevozchikov

State Institution "Republican Children's Clinical Hospital"

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3706-9656

Syktyvkar, 167004, Russian Federation

Россия

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