The Covid-19 pandemic in Sweden: Prolonged and unevenly distributed effects on the volume of pediatric anesthesia and surgery demonstrated by data from the Swedish Perioperative Register.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2020, Covid-19 pushed Swedish health care to its limits regarding access to hospital beds and staffing. A previous investigation of the effects of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 revealed a substantial reduction in elective pediatric surgery. The aim of the present study was to expand this analysis on a national and regional level during almost three years with Covid-19.

Methods

For this retrospective cohort study, routine data from all procedures in patients <16 years of age in 2019-2022 were extracted from the Swedish Perioperative Register. Data were analyzed according to level of care, type of surgery, procedure code and emergency or elective surgery.

Results

During 2020-2022, the number of surgeries registered was 19,944 fewer t

SUBMITTER: Melander S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12571281 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature