Evaluation of Surgery Services in Terms of Health Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background:The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected global health, social welfare, and the economy at a level unprecedented in modern history.study aimed to compare surgery services in a training and research hospital in stanbul before and after COVID-19 and evaluate these services regarding health management. Materials and Methods:This retrospective study encompassed all surgical procedures conducted in the hospital's operating room from 2019 to 2023.The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage and chi-square tests. Results:The dataset encompasses 46,041 surgical procedures and 18 different disease groups.Major surgical procedures account for 66.8% of emergency surgeries and 84.2% of elective surgeries.71.5% of the major surgeries, 88% of the moderate surgeries, and 83.4% of the minor surgeries are emergencies.Major surgical procedures are prevalent across all age demographics.11,834 (25%) surgeries were performed in 2019, and 4,344 (9%) surgeries were performed in 2020.The pandemic significantly reduced emergency (n=3984, 11%) and elective (n=360, 3%) surgeries.There was a notable rise in the frequency of hospital visits after surgeries involving the circulatory system, ocular interventions, and operations in the middle ear as age progressed. Conclusion:The pandemic period witnessed notable reductions in the volume of emergency, elective, major, medium, and minor surgical procedures.Surgeries experienced a decline across all disease categories, except for two: foreign body, implant, and graft surgeries, and incidents involving accidents, poisoning, contact with sharp objects, and weapons.Most surgeries can be classified as emergency procedures, with notable prevalence in cases involving the eye and middle ear, genitourinary system, skeletal structure, circulatory system, digestive tract, and respiratory ailments.Emergency, eye, and middle ear surgeries were more prevalent among individuals aged 60 and above, whereas elective surgeries were more frequently observed in the 19-30 age group.Most emergency and elective surgeries were major surgeries.The number of postoperative check-ups increased among the older age demographics.