MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN CROATIA: A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY/ZBRINJAVANJE AKUTNOG APENDICITISA TIJEKOM PANDEMIJE COVID-19 U HRVATSKOJ: ISKUSTVO JEDNE USTANOVE

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of patients presenting to the emergency room with acute appendicitis and subsequent results of surgical treatment. Our single center retrospective study was conducted in Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia. We analyzed data on the patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis, their duration of symptoms, length of hospital stay, histopathologic diagnosis, and operative techniques, recorded from September 1, 2019 to October 17, 2020. The results showed a statistically significant increase in the ratio of open laparotomies (p=0.006) and ratio of perforated appendicitis (p=0.047) during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the pre-pandemic period. The time between symptom onset and hospitalization, measured in days, did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase (p=0.379), and minor increase in the postoperative length of stay was not statistically significant either (p=0.879).