Caseload and In-Hospital Outcome of Carotid Surgery Performed during the COVID-19 Pandemic vs. Previous Years: A Single-Centre Analysis

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With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, restrictions and challenges for elective and emergency vascular surgery as well as worse outcomes were reported. This study aims to compare our single-centre experience with carotid artery surgery during the pandemic and previous years.Our retrospective analysis included all consecutive patients undergoing carotid surgery for symptomatic and asymptomatic stenosis between January 2017 and December 2021. Caseload, operation specific parameters, and demographic data as well as in-hospital outcome were compared during the COVID-19 pandemic versus previous years.A total of 623 consecutive patients were included. The caseload comparison showed an average of 112 carotid artery surgeries per adjusted year (March 16th to December 31st) from 2017 to 2019, prior to the pandemic. The caseload reduction in the first year of the pandemic (2020) was 36.6% (n = 71) and 17.9% (n = 92) in the second year (2021). No rebound effect was observed. There was no significant difference (p = 0.42) in the allocation of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (asymptomatic patients: 37.1% prior vs. 40.8% during the pandemic; symptomatic patients: 62.9 vs. 59.2%). Major adverse event rates in years prior to the pandemic were postoperative bleeding requiring revision: n = 31 (7.1%); stroke in symptomatic patients: n = 9 (3.3%) and stroke in asymptomatic patients: n = 4 (2.5%); symptomatic myocardial infarction (MCI): n = 1 (0.2%); death: n = 2 (0.5%). During the pandemic, major adverse event rates were postoperative bleeding requiring revision: n = 12 (6.5%); stroke in symptomatic patients: n = 1 (0.9%), stroke in asymptomatic patients: n = 1 (1.3%); symptomatic MCI: n = 1 (0.5%); death: n = 1 (0.5%).Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there has been a significant reduction in carotid artery surgery performed both in symptomatic as well as in asymptomatic patients. There was no worsening of the outcome of carotid surgery performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this remained safe and feasible.

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