Journal of Education and Health Promotion

The COVID‑19 pandemic impact on clinical load of plastic and reconstructive surgery in a tertiary care hospital of north India: A retrospective comparative analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Mohd Altaf Mir
. Debarati Chattopadhyay
. Nishank Manohar
. Madhubari Vathulya
. Vishal Mago
. Akshay Kapoor
. Neeraj Rao

Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract
BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to analyze and determine statistically significant
impact of the COVID‑19 on clinical load of plastic and reconstructive surgery practices.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retrospective analysis and comparison of the number of patients
visiting to outpatient clinic, number of patients admitted, number of patients operated in the plastic
and reconstructive surgery department during the COVID‑19 pandemic months of January 2020–
June 2020 with the same months of preceding non‑COVID‑19 year was done. The data obtained
were tabulated in Microsoft Excel spread sheet and the statistical analysis done using MedCalc
statistical software.
RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation of patients attended in outpatient department (OPD),
admitted in inpatient department (IPD), emergency surgeries performed, and elective surgeries
performed during ‑COVID‑19 versus COVID‑19 pandemic period is (651.167 ± 310.42 vs.
212.5 ± 307.591), (83.5 ± 16.263 vs. 34.333 ± 53.74), (5.167 ± 4.243 vs. 3.333 ± 4.95),
and (74.333 ± 28.284 vs. 40.833 ± 60.811), respectively. The difference in means is highly significant
statistically in the number of patients attended in OPD, admitted in IPD, and elective surgeries
performed during pre‑COVID versus COVID period; however, the difference in the means is not
statistically significant in the number of emergency surgeries performed during pre‑COVID versus
COVID period.
CONCLUSION: The COVID‑19 pandemic has significantly reduced the number of patients attended in
OPD, admitted in IPD, and elective surgeries performed in the department of plastic surgery. However,
there is a reduction in number of emergency surgeries but statistically insignificant. The strategy is
to use telemedicine portal e‑Sanjeevani services for OPD, encourage admission of patients with
reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction negative for COVID‑19, and perform reconstructive
and esthetic plastic surgery operative procedures using COVID‑19 appropriate precautions.

Keywords

Aesthetic surgery
coronavirus
COVID ‑19
pandemic
plastic surgery
telemedicine
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 12, Issue 1
January 2022
Pages 1-5

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