Evaluation of the possible effects of the COVID-19 period on the clinical outcomes of acute mesenteric ischemia

Abstract

Objective:The objective of the study was to investigate the possible effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 period on the frequency and clinical course of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) cases. Material and methods: A total of 35 patients who were treated and followed up with a diagnosis of AMI over 44 months were included. Results: The mean age of the patients was 69 ± 12 years. Of these patients, 22 were male (63%). The most common cause of AMI in the patients was arterial embolism/thrombosis (68.6%). Thirty-three (94%) of the patients underwent surgical intervention. The duration of the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods was equal as 22 months, and 18 (51%) of the patients were admitted during the pandemic period. The mortality rate of the patients admitted during the COVID-19 period was also significantly higher than that of the patients admitted during the pre-COVID-19 period (61% and 29%) (p = 0.05). Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 period did not cause a significant increase in the number of AMI cases when compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, the mortality rate was higher in this period. It is thought that further studies are required to investigate the cause of this increased mortality rate during the pandemic period.