Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal endoscopy activity in France

Arthur Belle; Maximilien Barret; David Bernardini; Anne-Laure Tarrerias; Erwan Bories; Vianna Costil; Bernard Denis; Rodica Gincul; David Karsenti; Stephane Koch; Arthur Laquiere; Thierry Lecomte; Vincent Quentin; Gabriel Rahmi; Michel Robaszkiewicz; Eric Vaillant; Geoffroy Vanbiervliet; Ariane Vienne; Franck Dumeiran; Olivier Gronier; Stanislas Chaussade; for the French Society of Digestive Endoscopy (Société Française d’Endoscopie Digestive)

doi:10.1055/a-1201-9618

Endoscopy, Table of Contents

Endoscopy 2020; 52(12): 1111-1115
DOI: 10.1055/a-1201-9618

Innovations and brief communications

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal endoscopy activity in France

Arthur Belle‡^*

¹Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France

,

Maximilien Barret‡^*

¹Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France

²University of Paris, Paris, France

,

David Bernardini

³Gastroenterology Department, La Casamance Private Hospital, Aubagne, France

,

Anne-Laure Tarrerias

⁴Gastroenterology Department, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, Île-de-France, France

,

Erwan Bories

⁵Gastroenterology Department, Hôpital Privé de Provence, Aix En Provence, France

,

Vianna Costil

⁶Gastroenterology Department, Pôle Santé des 4 Temps, Puteaux, France

,

Bernard Denis

⁷Médecine A, Hôpital Pasteur, Colmar, France

,

Rodica Gincul

⁸Service de Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France

,

David Karsenti

⁹Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Clinique de Paris-Bercy, Charenton-le-Pont, France

,

Stephane Koch

¹⁰Gastroenterology Department, CHU Besançon, Besançon, France

,

Arthur Laquiere

¹¹Gastroenterology Department, Hôpital St Joseph, Marseille, France

,

Thierry Lecomte

¹²Department of Hepatogastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Trousseau University Hospital, Tours, France

,

Vincent Quentin

¹³Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Hôpital St Brieuc, St Brieuc, France

,

Gabriel Rahmi

¹⁴Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Paris, France

,

Michel Robaszkiewicz

¹⁵Department of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, CHRU de Brest, Brest, France

,

Eric Vaillant

¹⁶Department of Gastroenterology, Centre médical du Nord, Lille, France

,

Geoffroy Vanbiervliet

¹⁷Digestive Endoscopy, Hôpital de L'Archet 2, Nice, France

,

Ariane Vienne

¹⁸Department of Gastroenterology, Hôpital privé d'Anthony, Anthony, France

,

Franck Dumeiran

¹⁹Gastroenterology Department, Société française d'endoscopie digestive, Limoges, France

,

Olivier Gronier

²⁰Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinique Sainte Barbe, Strasbourg, France

,

Stanislas Chaussade

¹Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France

²University of Paris, Paris, France

,

for the French Society of Digestive Endoscopy (Société Française d’Endoscopie Digestive)

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has majorly affected medical activity around the world. We sought to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy activity in France.

Methods We performed a web-based survey, including 35 questions on the responders and their endoscopic practice, from 23 March to 27 March 2020, sent to the 3300 French gastroenterologists practicing endoscopy.

Results 694 GI endoscopists (21 %) provided analyzable data; of these, 29.4 % (204/694) were involved in the management of COVID-19 patients outside the endoscopy department. During the study period, 98.7 % (685/694) of endoscopists had had to cancel procedures. There were 89 gastroenterologists (12.8 %) who reported symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection, and a positive PCR test was recorded in 12/197 (6.1 %) vs. 3/497 (0.6 %) endoscopists in the high vs. low prevalence areas, respectively (P < 0.001).

Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic led to a major reduction in the volume of GI endoscopies performed in France in March 2020. The prolonged limited access to GI endoscopy could lead to a delay in the management of patients with GI cancers.

Full Text

References

References
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Supplementary Material

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