Complicated appendicitis due to diagnosis delay during lockdown period in Italy

Abstract

Although children seem to be less affected than adults by COVID-19, Italianpaediatric hospitals have had to significantly reorganise services to deal with the pandemic. These include thetertiary-level Gaslini Children s Hospital in Genoa, which handles around 35,000 emergency room (ER) visits per year. The Government lockdown has dramatically reduced ER admissions and delayed programmed admissions (1).