ArticlePatient safety in surgery2022
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays in surgical procedures in Germany: a multi-center analysis of an administrative registry of 176,783 patients.
Article in Patient safety in surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Insufficient utilization of care in male incontinence surgery: health care reality in Germany from 2006 to 2020 and a systematic review of the international literature.World journal of urology · 2023Pooled it
- Patients' Perspectives on Changes in Cancer Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Survey Among Patients with Gynecological Malignancies and Breast Cancer in Germany (NOGGO-S25/Expression XIII).Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
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- Gaps in public health surveillance of elective surgery: a national analysis of inpatient data, COVID-19 impact, and coding validity in Germany (2006-2023).Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Trends and determinants of hospitalization costs for umbilical hernia: a 13-year retrospective analysis from 2012 to 2024.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Article
- COVID-19 on Elective Surgery Outcomes in a Brazilian Tertiary Hospital: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Article
- Genital gender-affirming surgery trends in Germany: Total population data with 19,600 cases from 2006 to 2022.Andrology · 2025Article
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- Minimising the usage of desflurane only by education and removal of the vaporisers - a before-and-after-trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2025Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with coronary artery disease requiring cardiac surgery at a German university hospital.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2025Article
- The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study.PeerJ · 2025Article
- Worse cholecystectomy outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: were staff shortages or a change in patient case-mix the culprit?Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Gynecomastia Surgery in 4996 Male Patients Over 14 Years: A Retrospective Analysis of Surgical Trends, Predictive Risk Factors, and Short-Term Outcomes.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2024Article
- Article
- Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Rectal Cancer.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- The Operating Room management for emergency Surgical Activity (ORSA) study: a WSES international survey.Updates in surgery · 2024Article
- The impact of elective surgery postponement during COVID-19 on emergency bellwether procedures in a large tertiary centre in Singapore.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2024Article
- Equity in the recovery of elective and oncological surgery volumes after the COVID-19 lockdown: a multicentre cohort study in Italy.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Article
- The Impact on Survival of Neoadjuvant Treatment Interruptions in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile extensive data are available on the postponement of elective surgical procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic for Germany, data on the impact on emergency procedures is limited.
methodsIn this retrospective case-control study, anonymized case-related routine data of a Germany-wide voluntary hospital association (CLINOTEL association) of 66 hospitals was analyzed. Operation volumes, in-hospital mortality, and COVID-19 prevalence rates in digestive surgery procedure groups and selected single surgical procedures in the one-year periods before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. The analysis was stratified by admitting department (direct admission or transfer to the general surgical department, i.e., primary or secondary surgical patients) and type of admission (elective/emergent).
resultsThe total number of primary and secondary surgical patients decreased by 22.7% and 11.7%, respectively. Among primary surgical patients more pronounced reductions were observed in elective (-25.6%) than emergency cases (-18.8%). Most affected procedures were thyroidectomies (-30.2%), operations on the anus (-24.2%), and closure of abdominal hernias (-23.9%; all P's < 0.001). Declines were also observed in colorectal (-9.0%, P = 0.002), but not in rectal cancer surgery (-3.9%, n.s.). Mortality was slightly increased in primary (1.3 vs. 1.5%, P < 0.001), but not in secondary surgical cases. The one-year prevalence of COVID-19 in general surgical patients was low (0.6%), but a significant driver of mortality (OR = 9.63, P < 0.001).
conclusionsCompared to the previous year period, the number of patients in general and visceral surgery decreased by 22.7% in the first pandemic year. At the procedure level, a decrease of 14.8% was observed for elective procedures and 6.0% for emergency procedures. COVID-19 infections in general surgical patients are rare (0.6% prevalence), but associated with high mortality (21.8%).
trial registrationThe present study does not meet the ICMJE definition of a clinical trial and was therefore not registered.
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