INTRODUCTION
A novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,
SARS-CoV-2) causing a cluster of respiratory infections (coronavirus
disease 2019, COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, was identified on January
7th, 2020. The epidemic quickly disseminated from
Wuhan and, as at 12 February 2020, 45,179 cases were confirmed in 25
countries, including 1,116 deaths. Strengthened surveillance was
implemented in France on January 10th, 2020 in order
to identify imported cases early and prevent secondary transmission.
Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on January
24th, the first cases in Europe (1). The 2 most
affected French regions were Grand-Est and Paris Area. The confinement
started in France on March 17th.
Following this announcement, the French Otorhinolaryngology - Head and
Neck Surgery Society recommended to cancel all non-urgent medical or
surgical activities, unless it would be expected to lead to a loss of
chance for the patient. The purpose of this cancellation was to
significantly increase critical care capacity; prioritize the reception
of patients with Covid-19 and the allocation of staff and provision of
the equipment necessary for their medical or surgical management; and
contribute to the smooth running of downstream critical care within
their establishment. Another goal was to reduce the risks of patients
contamination within healthcare facilities (2). This reorganization
restricted access to the operating room, leading to fewer surgical
procedures.
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
on the surgical activity in three university ENT units located in Paris
Area, a strongly affected region. This was performed by comparing
activities accomplished during 1 month of pandemic to the same month in
2019.