Spinal surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experience in a tertiary referral centre
James C. Riley, Rajat Verma
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic first came to prominence in December 2019, and since then has swept the globe, causing one of the largest public health problems seen. It has had a wide-ranging impact on healthcare provision, with a cessation of elective operating. We aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on a tertiary referral centre for spinal surgery in England. METHODS: June 2020 was used, and all spinal surgical patients were followed up prospectively, comparing patients from the same date range in 2019. We assessed rate of COVID transmission, 30-day mortality rates, complication rates and length of hospital stay in a large tertiary Teaching hospital in England. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients were operated on during the COVID-19 pandemic period, with a 30-day mortality rate of 4.2%. Two of these deaths were attributable to COVID-19 (2.56%). The mean length of stay was 10.8 days. Neither the 30-day mortality rate or the length of stay was statistically significant compared to the 2019 control period. Five patients (6.4%) tested positive for COVID-19, all were negative at time of surgical intervention. Our complication rate was 10.3% during the COVID-19 pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: The number of operative cases performed during the COVID-19 pandemic fell by one-third compared to the same period in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic did not cause a significant increase in 30-day mortality rate, length of stay, or complication rates. Further studies with larger patient numbers and longer-term outcomes will be needed to fully assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on spinal surgery.