Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on acute spine surgery referrals to UK tertiary spinal unit: any lessons to be learnt?

Ahuja, Sashin; Shah, Pranav; Mohammed, Riazuddin

doi:10.1080/02688697.2020.1777263

Cited by 29 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…As expected, these changes in the volume of trauma presentation are not unique to Ireland and several neurosurgical and trauma units worldwide have reported their experiences during the COVID-19 period (Table 5). Ahuja et al [9] reported a 46% decrease in acute spinal referrals to a tertiary centre in Wales over a 3-month period when compared to last year. Our study reported a decrease of 59% in spinal trauma over our time period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We classed high-energy trauma to include the categories high falls, assault, RTCs and bicycle injuries. Aluha et al [9] noted a shift in pattern of injury in the opposite direction with less high-energy trauma and more low-energy falls from standing. An interesting subgroup of our study is patients with normal scans that were referred with trauma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Trauma by its very nature is unpredictable and occurs in an accidental or emergency setting. A tertiary spinal unit in the UK and regional centre in Germany reported a reduction of 46% in referrals from February to April when compared to a year previous [9,10]. The majority of spinal trauma in Ireland is referred to a separate spinal trauma unit, with the National Neurosurgical Centre receiving referrals from our own emergency department or in patients with co-existent spinal and cranial trauma.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The impact of COVID-19 on trauma referrals to a National Neurosurgical Centre

et al. 2021

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of COVID-19 on trauma referrals to a National Neurosurgical Centre

et al. 2021

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“…Ahuja et al has attributed patient-based and service-based causes for reduction in cases seen during the pandemic [4] . The effects of lockdown directly saw a reduction in road traffic accidents, with the peak of lockdown showing a 23% drop in motor vehicle traffic when compared to pre-lockdown levels [8] .…”

Section: Rationale For Case Reductionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neurosurgery is not exempt from the impact of the pandemic with reductions in cases seen across the country. Ahuja et al has reported a reduction of 46.05% in spinal referrals to one tertiary spinal unit [4] , [6] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of COVID-19 on neurosurgical head trauma referrals and admission at a tertiary neurosurgical centre

Sinha

Toe

Wood

et al. 2021

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience

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Background COVID-19 has greatly impacted surgical specialities throughout the globe leading to a decrease in hospital admissions and referrals. Neurosurgery has seen a great decline in cases including head trauma leading to a negative impact on the development of neurosurgical trainees. The main objective of this study to the identify changes in neurosurgical referrals, admissions and management during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also aim to assess how current practise could be adapted to help manage future pandemic peaks. Methods: Data was collected for the first 31 days of lockdown during 2020 (23 rd March – 22 nd April) and compared to the same time period in the years 2016-2019. We assessed the number of referrals, admissions and clinical information of patients during this period with a key emphasis on head trauma. Results: Neurosurgical head injury referrals and admissions reduced by 57.5% and 48.3% respectively during the first 31 days of lockdown when compared to the mean figures for the same period in the previous 4 years. This was also seen with head trauma with a 21.9% decline in referrals and 39.1% reduction in admissions for the period of interest. A significant decrease in length of stay (P<0.001) was seen between 2020 and the years 2017-19. Conclusion: The impact of COVID-19 makes it imperative that we plan for future pandemics to lessen the impact on neurosurgery. Special considerations need to be taken so that trainees are sufficiently prepared for completion of training whilst still priotising patient safety and providing high quality care.

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The changing pattern of acute spinal referrals during primary and secondary waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic

Naskar

Baryeh

Pavuluri

et al. 2021

Musculoskeletal Care

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Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on health systems globally. This led to changes in patient access to healthcare particularly spinal services. This study investigates the impact of the pandemic on the volume of patients being referred to and accessing spinal services during both the first and second waves. Methods All emergency spinal referrals and related hospital attendances to the emergency department in a busy district general hospital were analysed. The data were evaluated at three time points each covering a 3‐month period. Data collected included patient demographics, duration and nature of symptoms, reason for referral, clinical and MRI findings, length of stay in hospital, any interventions performed and the follow‐up plan. Results There were a total of 316 emergency referrals across the three time periods. The number of referrals fell by 15% between the pre‐COVID‐19 period and the first wave. Comparing the first and second waves, the number of referrals was increased by 58%. Comparing the second wave to the pre‐COVID‐19 period, referrals were 34% greater in the second wave (p < 0.005). Conclusion We highlight an increase in referrals to our spinal service during the secondary wave, having fallen during the first wave. We hypothesise that the increase in referrals, despite similar restrictions to the first wave, is a result of changing patterns of behaviour due to the fear of contracting COVID during the first wave and difficulty in accessing primary care services in the second wave.

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Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on acute spine surgery referrals to UK tertiary spinal unit: any lessons to be learnt?

Cited by 29 publications

References 8 publications

The impact of COVID-19 on trauma referrals to a National Neurosurgical Centre

The impact of COVID-19 on trauma referrals to a National Neurosurgical Centre

The impact of COVID-19 on neurosurgical head trauma referrals and admission at a tertiary neurosurgical centre

The changing pattern of acute spinal referrals during primary and secondary waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic

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