Inpatient and outpatient surgical volume for ENT procedures in the U.S. dropped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, but saw a relatively quick rebound, according to research published in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.
Researchers analyzed 174 inpatient and 295 outpatient academic and community facilities, according to the data published Feb. 11.
Five takeaways:
1. Inpatient case volumes decreased in April 2020 compared to April 2019. In the mid-Atlantic, that dip was 39.8 percent. In the West-South-Central divisions, the decline was 42.6 percent.
2. Outpatient volumes were at 18 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels in April 2020 nationwide. By June 2020, outpatient volumes returned to pre-pandemic levels in most of the country.
3. By September 2020, inpatient volumes were at 99.7 percent of 2019 levels nationwide. Outpatient volumes were at 96.5 percent.
4. The ongoing provision of nonelective surgeries could explain why inpatient volumes didn't have as sharp a reduction compared to outpatient volume, researchers said.
5. The data suggests a need for ongoing planning to address limitations in capacity, testing and personal protective equipment with decreased revenue streams and increasing surgical backlogs, researchers said.