Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33685436›Full record

ArticleBMC surgery2021

The volume of general surgery emergency cases in a government hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and two other periods: a comparative, retrospective study.

Ibrahim Abu Shakra, Maxim Bez, Samer Ganam, Rola Francis, Amir Muati, Amitai Bickel, Fahed Merei, Ziv Talmi, Khatib Kamal, Eli Kakiashvili

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 40% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on emergency anterior abdominal wall hernia surgery: is it safe to postpone elective hernia surgery in the pandemic?European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Ibrahim Abu Shakra *Department of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Maxim Bez *Department of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Samer GanamDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Rola FrancisDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Amir MuatiDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Amitai BickelDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Fahed MereiDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Ziv TalmiIsrael Defense Forces, Medical Corps, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Khatib KamalDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel.
Eli KakiashviliDepartment of Surgery A, Galilee Medical Center, 22100, Nahariya, Israel. elik@gmc.gov.il.
Western Galilee Hospital · ILIsrael Defense Forces Medical Corps · ILBar-Ilan University · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDuring March and April 2020, reductions in non-COVID-19 hospital admissions were observed around the world. Elective surgeries, visits with general practitioners, and diagnoses of medical emergencies were consequently delayed.

objectiveTo compare the characteristics of patients admitted to a northern Israeli hospital with common surgical complaints during three periods: the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and a regular period.

methodsDemographic, medical, laboratory, imaging, intraoperative, and pathological data were collected from electronic medical files of patients who received emergency treatment at the surgery department of a single hospital in northern Israel. We retrospectively compared the characteristics of patients who were admitted with various conditions during three periods.

resultsPatients' mean age and most of the clinical parameters assessed were similar between the periods. However, pain was reportedly higher during the COVID-19 than the control period (8.7 vs. 6.4 on a 10-point visual analog scale, P < 0.0001). During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Second Lebanon War, and the regular period, the mean numbers of patients admitted daily were 1.4, 4.4, and 3.0, respectively. The respective mean times from the onset of symptoms until admission were 3, 1, and 1.5 days, P < 0.001. The respective proportions of surgical interventions for appendiceal disease were 95%, 96%, and 69%; P = 0.03.

conclusionsCompared to a routine period, patients during the COVID-19 outbreak waited longer before turning to hospitalization, and reported more pain at arrival. Patients during both emergency periods were more often treated surgically than non-operatively.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emergency Service, HospitalGeneral SurgeryHospitals, PublicHumansIsraelRetrospective StudiesCOVID-19Emergency surgeryGeneral surgerySARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID33685436
PMCPMC7938269
OpenAlexW3119260254

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.