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- Title
Impact of COVID-19 on Spinal Diagnosis and Procedural Volume in the United States.
- Authors
Tarawneh, Omar H.; Garay-Morales, Steven; Liu, Ivan Z.; Pakhchanian, Haig; Kazim, Syed Faraz; Roster, Katie; McDaniel, Lea; Tabaie, Sean A.; Vellek, John; Raiker, Rahul; Schmidt, Meic H.; Bowers, Christian A.; Tannoury, Tony; Tannoury, Chadi
- Abstract
Study Design: Retrospective analysis of a national database. Objectives: COVID-19 resulted in the widespread shifting of hospital resources to handle surging COVID-19 cases resulting in the postponement of surgeries, including numerous spine procedures. This study aimed to quantify the impact that COVID-19 had on the number of treated spinal conditions and diagnoses during the pandemic. Methods: Using CPT and ICD-10 codes, TriNetX, a national database, was utilized to quantify spine procedures and diagnoses in patients >18 years of age. The period of March 2020-May 2021 was compared to a reference pre-pandemic period of March 2018-May 2019. Each time period was then stratified into four seasons of the year, and the mean average number of procedures per healthcare organization was compared. Results: In total, 524,394 patient encounters from 53 healthcare organizations were included in the analysis. There were significant decreases in spine procedures and diagnoses during March-May 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Measurable differences were noted for spine procedures during the winter of 2020-2021, including a decrease in lumbar laminectomy and anterior cervical arthrodesis. Comparing the pandemic period to the pre-pandemic period showed significant reductions in most spine procedures and treated diagnoses; however, there was an increase in open repair of thoracic fractures during this period. Conclusions: COVID-19 resulted in a widespread decrease in spinal diagnosis and treated conditions. An inverse relationship was observed between new COVID-19 cases and spine procedural volume. Recent increases in procedural volume from pre-pandemic levels are promising signs that the spine surgery community has narrowed the gap in unmet care produced by the pandemic.
- Subjects
UNITED States; COVID-19 testing; LAMINECTOMY; COVID-19 pandemic; SPINAL surgery; DATABASES; INTERNATIONAL Statistical Classification of Diseases &; Related Health Problems
- Publication
Global Spine Journal, 2024, Vol 14, Issue 6, p1714
- ISSN
2192-5682
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/21925682231153083