Patients were sicker upon presentation, had longer surgeries and more complications<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, Oct. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) — During the pandemic, surgical volumes decreased, but the clinical presentation of diverticulitis became more severe, according to a study presented at the Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2022, held from Oct. 16 to 20 in San Diego.<\/p>\n
Rolando H. Rolandelli, M.D., from Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, and colleagues identified 23,383 patients who underwent a colectomy for diverticulitis in 2018 (control year) and 2020 (pandemic year) and compared differences in disease severity, comorbidities, perioperative factors, and complications.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that during the pandemic, colonic operations for diverticulitis decreased by 13.1 percent. During the pandemic, there were fewer White patients with diverticulitis (P < 0.001) but more Black\/African American (P = 0.032) and Hispanic patients (P < 0.001). During the pandemic, there were increases in the rates of congestive heart failure, acute renal failure, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and septic shock (P < 0.05). There were also more emergency operations (17.3 percent versus 20.0 percent; P < 0.001) and cases with a known abscess or perforation (50.1 percent versus 54.5 percent; P < 0.001). There were more patients during the pandemic classified as American Society of Anesthesiology classes 3, 4, and 5, who required longer operations (P < 0.001) and developed more complications, such as organ space surgical site infection, wound disruption, pneumonia, acute renal failure, septic shock, and myocardial infarction (P < 0.05).<\/p>\n
This underscores the importance of monitoring patients at risk for diverticulitis and intervening when criteria for surgery are met, the authors write.<\/p>\n