The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment of emergency urological patients during lockdown - Serbian tertiary center experience

Introduction/Objective The COVID-19 pandemic affected the functioning of health care systems, including emergency services worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on the care of urgent urological patients in daily practice. Methods Data were retrospectively collected from patients urgently hospitalized at Emergency Department of Clinic of Urology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, during the first three months of lockdown between March 15 and June 15, 2020, and compared to the same period in 2019. The collected data included demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as treatment characteristics and treatment outcomes. Results This study included 80 patients who were hospitalized during the 2020 lockdown and 68 patients who were hospitalized in the same period in 2019. There was no difference in total number of hospitalized patients, age and sex when comparing these two periods. Among patients with urinary tract infection, the number of patients with urosepsis was significantly higher in 2020 (p = 0.028). The median time from symptoms' onset to hospitalization was significantly longer in patients who were hospitalized in 2020 (p = 0.049). No difference was found in duration of hospitalization and characteristics of treatment between the two periods. The number of deaths was significantly higher in 2020 (p = 0.034). Conclusion During lockdown in Serbia, patients sought emergency urology service significantly later. Furthermore, a higher number of patients with urosepsis and a higher number of deaths among hospitalized patients were found during lockdown compared to the previous year.