Changes in the neurosurgical admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic – a comparison with 2019

Background: The coronavirus pandemic has strongly affected health-care systems around the world, testing their patients’ care capacities. Admission restrictions, patients’ fear of hospitalization or other uncomprehended constraints has affected admissions to neurosurgery department. Material and methods: The clinical data of admissions from March 1st to July 24th 2020, as well as data of the control group in relevant periods of time in 2019 was collected from the local hospital database and compared. Results: The total number of procedures performed between March and July 2020 is 1545, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year it was the number of 2062, indicating a decrease by about 25%. Both head and aneurysm procedures decreased over the entire analyzed period. The number of procedures classified as "other" was higher in each of the three stages. Between March 1st and April 30th (Phase 1) mainly younger male patients were admitted. Conclusions: We demonstrated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work organization of our Neurosurgery Department. We report that after the introduction of appropriate solutions, it is possible to provide care to neurosurgical patients while ensuring the safety of patients and Staff during the pandemic.