Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Operative Volume and Residency Training at Two Academic Neurosurgery Centers in New Orleans.

ABSTRACT Introduction Medical subspecialties such as neurosurgery have seen a dramatic shift in operative volume in the wake of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The goal of this study was to quantify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on operative volume at two academic neurosurgery centers in New Orleans, Louisiana from equivalent periods prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective review was conducted analyzing neurosurgical case records for two tertiary academic centers from March through June of 2020 and March through June of 2019. The records were reviewed for variables including institution and physician coverage, operative volume by month and year, cases per subspeciality, patient demographics, mortality and morbidity. Results Comparison of groups demonstrated a 34% reduction in monthly neurosurgical volume per institution during the pandemic as compared to earlier time points including a 77% decrease during April 2020. There was no change in mortality and morbidity across institutions during the pandemic. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on neurosurgical practice and will likely continue to have long-term effects on patients at a time when global gross domestic products decrease and relative health expenditures increase. Clinicians must anticipate and actively prepare for these impacts in the future.