Impact of COVID‐19 on pediatric surgery cancellations: A retrospective study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundPrevalence trends and reasons for pediatric surgery cancellation in Japan during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic have not previously been reported. This study aimed to compare the prevalence and reasons for cancellation of pediatric surgeries in Japan before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsThis single‐center retrospective cohort study reviewed the reasons for surgery cancellations scheduled for patients aged <18 years between the prepandemic period (September 2017–December 2019) and the COVID‐19 pandemic period (January 2020–April 2022). The cancellation reasons were classified into four major categories: medical, surgical, patient‐related, and administrative.ResultsOf the 3395 and 3455 surgeries scheduled before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, 305 (9.0%) and 319 (9.2%) surgeries were canceled (p = 0.737), respectively. The proportion of cancellations due to infections or fever in medical reasons decreased from 67.9% to 56.1% (p = 0.003) and that due to patient‐related reasons increased from 6.6% to 15.1% (p = 0.001). Further, the proportion of cancellations due to staff shortages in staff administrative reasons increased from 0.3% to 3.1% (p = 0.011). There was no significant difference in the proportion of surgeries canceled due to surgical reasons between the two periods.ConclusionsThe proportion of cancellations due to infections or fever decreased during the COVID‐19 pandemic, while that due to staff shortages increased. Infection prevention is an important measure to address the staff shortages. Implementation of national or regional policies and additional strategic interventions may be required to prepare for disasters like the COVID‐19 pandemic.