Tracking the Volume of Neurosurgical Care During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we quantified the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the volume of adult and pediatric neurosurgical procedures, inpatient consultations, and clinic visits at an academic medical center. METHODS: Neurosurgical procedures, inpatient consultations, and outpatient appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were identified from March 23, 2020 through May 8, 2020 (during COVID-19) and March 25, 2019 through May 10, 2019 (before COVID-19). The neurosurgical volume was compared between the 2 periods. RESULTS: A 40% reduction in weekly procedural volume was demonstrated during COVID-19 (median before, 75; interquartile range [IQR], 72–80; median during, 45; IQR, 43–47; P < 0.001). A 42% reduction occurred in weekly adult procedures (median before, 62; IQR, 54–70; median during, 36; IQR, 34–39; P < 0.001), and a 31% reduction occurred in weekly pediatric procedures (median before, 13; IQR, 12–14; median during, 9; IQR, 8–10; P = 0.004). Among adult procedures, the most significant decreases were seen for spine (P < 0.001) and endovascular (P < 0.001) procedures and cranioplasty (P < 0.001). A significant change was not found in the adult open vascular (P = 0.291), functional (P = 0.263), cranial tumor (P = 0.143), or hydrocephalus (P = 0.173) procedural volume. Weekly inpatient consultations to neurosurgery decreased by 24% (median before, 99; IQR, 94–114; median during, 75; IQR, 68–84; P = 0.008) for adults. Weekly in-person adult and pediatric outpatient clinic visits witnessed a 91% decrease (median before, 329; IQR, 326–374; median during, 29; IQR, 26–39; P < 0.001). In contrast, weekly telehealth encounters increased from a median of 0 (IQR, 0–0) before to a median of 151 (IQR, 126–156) during COVID-19 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant reductions occurred in neurosurgical operations, clinic visits, and inpatient consultations during COVID-19. Telehealth was increasingly used for assessments. The long-term effects of the reduced neurosurgical volume and increased telehealth usage on patient outcomes should be explored.