Did Covid-19 pandemic increase the rate of complicated acute appendicitis?

Abstract

Aim: In the Covid-19 pandemic, patients' admissions to the hospital were delayed for concerns of contamination. Our study aimed to determine the duration of admission to hospital, complicated AA rate, and complication rates in patients treated for acute appendicitis (AA) during the pandemic process and compare them with the non-pandemic period.
 Material and Methods: Data of 159 patients treated for appendicitis during the pandemic period (11.03.2020 - 01.06.2020) and non-pandemic period (11.03.2019-01.06.2019) were analyzed retrospectively. Data on admission time, complicated AA rate, inflammatory markers, hospitalization time, postoperative complications, and drain usage were analyzed.
 Results: The hospital's average admission time was 1.37 ± 1.53 days in group 1 and 2.54 ± 2.18 days in group 2 (p