Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic in Non Covid-19 Patients at the Emergency Surgical Department

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Introduction Most countries imposed mandatory lockdowns that were rapidly lifted, however Argentina holds the record for one of the longest quarantines in the world. General surgery emergency conditions and trauma cases still require immediate evaluation and timely resolution. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the variations in the consults, surgical outcomes and severity of disease in admissions at our department of general surgery and to study the consequences of the lockdown effect in our community. Materials and methods An observational, ambispective study was carried out on a prospective cohort of patients who consulted with on-call surgical pathology and required hospitalization in the period from March 13th, 2020 until July 31, 2020 (PG) were included, analyzed and compared with the same period of 2019 (CG).

Detailed Description
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Participation in the study does not represent any additional risk for the included participants since participation in the protocol does not include any experimental intervention and the medical care and treatment of all participants that require it will be carried out according to the current guidelines. The protocol does not contemplate any procedure or study additional to the usual care of the patient.

Official Title
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Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic in Non Covid-19 Patients at the Emergency Surgical Department, During the Severe Restriction Phase of Lockdown in Buenos Aires. A Cohort Study.

Conditions
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Covid19, Emergencies, Appendicitis, Surgical Procedure, Unspecified

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: surgery


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: all non-Covid-19 patients over 18 years who consulted at the emergency surgical department of Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires and required hospitalization in the period from March 13th, 2020 until July 31, 2020 (Pandemic Group-PG) and compared with the same period of 2019 (Control Group-CG). Exclusion Criteria: None
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Control group<br> | Other: surgery<br>* emergency surgery<br>|
| Pandemic group<br> | Other: surgery<br>* emergency surgery<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of patients admitted to the emergency department | Variations in the consults the emergency department of general surgery. | 2019-2020 | 
| Clinical presentation of the patients at the time of admission | Surgical outcomes and severity of disease in admissions at the department of general surgery. | 2019-2020 | 
| Has the COVID-19 pandemic made a significant change in the hospital admissions? | Study the consequences of the severe restriction phase of the pandemic in the community. | 2019-2020 |