Comparisons with other studies;
In Seattle, USA, average weekly surgical volume decreased by 71.7% in a
vascular surgery unit (3). In Milan, Italy, maxillo-facial units,
outpatients surgery decreased by 86% and inpatients surgery decreased
by 78% (4). In San Francisco, the department of surgery reduced
operating room volume by 80% (5). In Marseille, France, during the
first month of confinement, a decrease of almost 50% was observed in
the number of spine surgical procedures (6).
However, the number of scheduled tracheostomies increased. Indeed,
patients who become severely ill from COVID-19 have a high likelihood of
needing prolonged intubation, making tracheostomy a likely consideration
(7). In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, the strategy adopted by
many intensive care units consisted in early tracheostomy to wean off
intubation in selective patients with severe ARDS and transfer them to a
ventilatory weaning unit thus creating room for new patients in ICU
(8,9).