IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF SPINE PATHOLOGIES IN SUS

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on spine surgeries performed by SUS. To identify changes in surgical volume, as well as which procedures and regions of Brazil were most affected. To correlate such changes with literature data. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was conductedwith an analysis of the databases available to the public on the performance of spinal surgical procedures by SUS during the period from 2017 to 2021. The databases were created from variables of interest available in the SIH (Hospital Information System) of the SUS Information Technology Department website (DATASUS; http://datasus.saude.gov.br). The procedures were grouped according to type of surgery, topography, and access route for the construction of tables and statistical analysis. Results: In the years of the pandemic, a greater drop in surgical volume was observed, with a total of 13,276 procedures in 2020 and 12,158 in 2021, equivalent to -28.51% and -34.53%, respectively, of the average of the previous period. Conclusions: Given the paramount importance of attention to the fight against the pandemic, maintaining the level of assistance for spinal pathologies proved to be a great challenge, especially in relation to elective surgical pathologies that, when delayed too much, can seriously impact the quality of life and outcomes of future treatments. Level of Evidence: IV; Retrospective, descriptive.

摘要
目的：评估新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行对巴西统一卫生系统（Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS）开展脊柱外科手术的影响，明确手术量的变化趋势，以及巴西境内哪些术式与地区受影响最为严重，并将此类变化与现有文献数据进行关联分析。
方法：本研究为回顾性描述性研究，对2017至2021年期间SUS开展脊柱外科手术的公开数据库进行分析。数据库源自巴西卫生信息科技部（Departamento de Informática do SUS, DATASUS；http://datasus.saude.gov.br）下属的医院信息系统（Hospital Information System, SIH）中收录的相关目标变量。研究根据手术类型、病变部位及手术入路对术式进行分组，用于表格构建与统计分析。
结果：大流行期间手术量出现明显下滑，2020年与2021年手术总量分别为13276台与12158台，较疫情前同期均值分别下降28.51%与34.53%。
结论：鉴于防控新冠大流行是当前的首要工作，维持脊柱疾病患者的救治水平被证实是一项重大挑战，尤其是择期手术患者群体——若手术延迟时间过长，将严重影响患者的生活质量与未来治疗效果。
证据等级：IV级；回顾性描述性研究。