Success Rate of Wire Control-Assisted ERCP Sphincterotomy Versus Non-assisted ERCP Cannulation of Common Bile Duct in a Secondary Care Unit During the First COVID-19 Peak: A Retrospective Observational Study of 281 Patients

Background The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) recommended that during the COVID-19 pandemic, endoscopy units perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for obstructive biliary pathologies in an emergency. We assessed the local performance of ERCP during the first wave of COVID-19 at our local endoscopy center, in particular the technique to common bile duct (CBD) cannulation. Methodology All ERCP procedures performed from January to June 2020 were retrospectively assessed and compared with procedures performed between January and June 2019 at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. The indications for ERCP, success rate, and complications were studied separately. Correlation analysis was conducted using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The binary logistic regression model was used to compute the factors associated with successful ERCP. Significance was established when the two-sided P-value < 0.05. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, 2017). Results A total of 281 ERCP were included in this study, with 169 and 112 performed during the first six months of 2019 and 2020, respectively. A statistically significant (0.0087) higher proportion of cases with liver dysfunction presented for ERCP before the COVID-19 outbreak (152, 89.94%). All patients before COVID-19 underwent wire control-assisted ERCP, while 82 (73.21%) received assisted ERCP during the first wave (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.10) in the number of patients who underwent sphincterotomy before and during the first wave of COVID-19, with 97 (57.39%) and 76 (67.85%), respectively. The success rate of ERCP before COVID-19 was relatively high, accounting for 146 (86.39%) patients in contrast to 87 (77.67%) patients during the first wave (P = 0.074). Sphincterotomy (β = 2.800, P = 0.028) and stent insertion (β = 0.852, P = 0.046) were statistically significant predictors of ERCP outcomes. There was no statistically significant impact of cholangitis on the success of ERCP (β = 1.672, P = 0.109). Conclusion The first wave of COVID-19 had a statistically proven negative impact on the expected standards of ERCP performance. Although the complication rate was significantly higher during the first wave case difficulty, the American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) status was not assessed on an individual basis. Both ASA status and case difficulty are now included in our endoscopy selection process. We recommend adding the complexity of cases and ASA to the local and national recording databases. This is a rare study on UK-based hospitals.