Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Anaesthetic Workload at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To compare the anaesthetic workload during the COVID-19 pandemic with the workload immediately before and two years after the pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: The operating rooms of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, over three time periods: From October 2019 to February 2020 (pre-COVID-19), from February to June 2020 (COVID-19), and from February to June 2022 (post-COVID-19). METHODOLOGY: After approval by the Institution's Ethics Review Committee, data were obtained from the hospital's central repository for pre-COVID-19, COVID-19, and post-COVID-19 time periods, including the number of surgeries, type of anaesthesia, surgical speciality, patients' age, and gender. RESULTS: The total number of surgical procedures performed during the COVID-19 period was significantly lower than in the pre- COVID-19 period (2862 vs. 5574, p <0.001). The highest decline of 55.51% was observed in paediatric surgery, while the lowest decline was seen in breast surgery (26.09%). In the post-COVID-19 period, a 34.74% rise was seen in cases compared to the COVID-19 period; however, there was still a 21.28% decline compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on anaesthesia workload for elective surgical services. The highest decline occurred in paediatric surgery and the lowest in breast surgery. In the post-COVID-19 period, there was an increased workload in all surgical disciplines. However, the pre-COVID-19 pandemic workload was not re-attained despite using all administrative strategies to deliver safe services. KEY WORDS: COVID-19, Pandemic, Anaesthesiology, Workload, Elective surgical procedures.