Covid-19 Pandemic Increased the Number of Ostomies Performed in the Mid-west of Santa Catarina

Abstract Introduction Intestinal ostomy represents the externalization of the intestine to the abdominal wall. Objective To analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients who underwent intestinal ostomy construction from 2010 to 2023 at the Hospital Universitario Santa Terezinha (HUST) in Joaçaba, Santa Catarina. Method This is a quantitative study with a cross-sectional approach through access to medical records of patients undergoing intestinal ostomy surgery from 2010 to 2023. Descriptive and association analyses were performed using JASP 0.18.1 software. Results Three hundred and seventy-one (371) patients, predominantly male (58.8%), were included in this study. At the time of surgery, the average age was 60.4 years. The younger patient was 13 years old, while the older patient was 97 years old. Most of the hospitalizations were due to neoplasms, with emphasis on colorectal neoplasia (39.6%), with a predominance of ileostomies (54.4%). A significant increase of this type of surgery (p = 0.013) was noted, coincidently with the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic. Conclusions Males and elderly people who underwent ileostomy due to colorectal neoplasia, were predominant, most of which were permanent. There was an increase in the number of ostomy cases during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the region. Such conditions may be associated with gastrointestinal complications, with a high potential for enteral surgery under unfavorable conditions.