Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sympathectomies in Brazil’s public health system

2. Objective To analyze and compare the number of sympathectomies for the treatment of hyperhidrosis in the public health system (SUS - Unified Health System) before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Method A retrospective cross-sectional study, in accordance with the guidelines of the Research Ethics Committee, which analyzed the number of elective surgical procedures performed in SUS-Brazil, including the number of thoracic sympathectomies for the treatment of hyperhidrosis, in the 2 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2018 and 2019) as well as in the 2 years of maximum prevalence (2020-2021) and in the 2 years following the peak of cases (2022-2023). The data analyzed was obtained from the database of the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS). Results The number of thoracic sympathectomies performed in the SUS during the years 2020 and 2021 significantly decreased, probably secondary to the allocation of resources to the care of COVID-19 patients. This was followed by a lower than expected increase in the number of sympathectomies compared to pre-pandemic data. Conclusion The volume of sympathectomies, and consequently the surgical treatment of hyperhidrosis patients dependent on the SUS, have been extremely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and remain in slow recovery, with no short-term prospect of returning to previous figures.