Effects of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Service: Perspective from a Tertiary Medical Center in Nigeria

Background The outbreak of COVID-19 caused a significant impact on neurosurgical case volume in Nigeria due to the widespread recommendation to minimize elective procedures and redistribute healthcare resources to support COVID-19 patients. This study aims to analyze the effect of COVID-19 in one tertiary care Nigerian hospital on the demographic characteristics, diagnostic classes, and elective/non-elective procedure statuses. Methods A retrospective single-center chart review study was conducted to review all patients undergoing a neurosurgical procedure between March to June in 2019 and 2020. Descriptive data on patient age, gender, sex, diagnosis, surgical procedure, elective/non-elective surgery status, and month and year of admission were recorded. Diagnoses were categorized into one of seven types by author review. Pearson's Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact Tests were utilized to test for independence of the categorical variables to the year of patient admission, and a Welch two-sample t-test was used to test for a significant difference in mean age between the two cohorts. Results A total of 143 cases were reviewed. There was a 59.8% reduction in overall neurosurgical case volume with an 82% reduction in elective procedures (39 vs. 7, p = 0.017, 95% CI: 1.15 – 8.77) between 2019 and 2020. No significant differences were noted in patient cohorts when comparing demographic characteristics, diagnosis type, or month of admission between the two years. Conclusion There was a significant reduction in elective neurosurgical procedures during the early months of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Further studies should consider examining the effects of COVID-19 into 2021.