Effects of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on presentation, management, and outcomes of acute cholecystitis at an academic tertiary care center cholecystitis management during COVID-19

• Published in: Heliyon 2023-11, Vol.9 (11), p.e22043-e22043, Article e22043
• Main Authors: Peters, Nicholas V., O'Connor, Rick, Bhattacharya, Bishwajit, Kunstman, John W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute care surgery; COVID; Perioperative management
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22043

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adjustments to nearly all aspects of healthcare, including surgical care. The effects of these adjustments have not been well studied on acute surgical problems conventionally managed non-electively in large, tertiary care centers. A retrospective analysis of admitted patients with acute cholecystitis at a US academic tertiary care center was performed. We compared the presentation, management, and 30-day outcomes of patients admitted during a 2-month time period during early COVID, to a pre-COVID control group of admitted cholecystitis patients over a 2-month span. The study cohort captured 24 patients, while the control cohort encompassed 53 patients. A non-significant trend toward non-operative management in the COVID cohort is reported. There was no delay in time-to-surgery or complication rate. No surgically managed patient developed COVID within 30 days of operation. Operative management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic, with pre-operative testing and personal protective equipment guidelines, remained safe and effective. •Incidence of acute cholecystitis was markedly diminished during the early COVID-19 timeframe.•There was an increasing trend of conservative management for acute cholecystitis during COVID-19.•Time to operative intervention and operative time were not significantly different during COVID-19, despite implementation of numerous anti-contagion policies.•There was no difference in morbidity or mortality for patients admitted with acute cholecystitis between cohorts.