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.