Were appendicitis more complicated in the Covid-19 pandemic?

Aim: To investigate the frequency of patients operated for acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic period, their complication rates and how it affected hospital costs. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, the data of patients who were operated with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis during the Covid-19 pandemic period (15 March - 31 May 2020) were compared with the data of those operated in the non-pandemic period (15 March - 31 May 2019). Patients who were operated during the COVID-19 pandemic period were categorized as Group A and those operated in the non-pandemic period as Group B. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients, the incidence of the disease, whether the disease was complicated, and the hospital costs were analyzed. Results: Of a total of 108 patients meeting the study criteria, 46 were assigned to Group A and 62 to Group B. When the appendix diameters were compared, the mean appendix diameter of the patients in Group A was higher than that of the patients in Group B (8 ± SD mm vs. 7 ± SD mm, p = 0.0001). The mean operative time of the patients in Group A was longer than that of the patients in Group B (47.5 ± 15.41 minutes vs. 40 ± 9.61 minutes, respectively, p = 0.0001). Intraabdominal drain was required in 10 patients (21.7%) in Group A and 4 patients (6.5%) in Group B (p = 0.039). All the wound infections developed in Group A in open operations. When the cost analysis between the groups was compared, the mean cost per patient in Group A was 1284.10 ± 804.11, while it was 1066.43 ± 671.28 in Group B, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.040). Conclusion: During the Covid-19 pandemic, patients who were operated with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis became more complicated, and the morbidity and hospital costs of patients increased.