The impact of COVID‐19 on elective otolaryngology surgery in a rural hospital in the United Kingdom

Arman, Sam; Hopkins, Michael; Mckean, Simon

A return to normal surgical practice following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was expected to be limited by extra precautions put in place to mitigate the risks posed by the Sars-Cov2 virus to patients and theatre staff. Rates of COVID-19 infection within the local authority area remained well below national levels from August 2020-February 2021 despite a surge in cases during the second wave. Despite low levels of COVID-19 infection there was a 16.2% reduction in the number of operating lists and a 31.2% reduction in the number of surgical procedures performed. There was a significant increase in the number of cancellations (p=0.011) year on year. The results suggest that the ability of Otolaryngological departments to clear the backlog of cases caused by the postponement of non-urgent surgery during 2020 will be limited as long as the extra precautions remain.