Real World SCS Outcomes in the Pandemic: 12-month prospective single centre data

Abstract

Introduction: Covid-19 was classed as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020. As a result, this had an overwhelming impact on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. This led to the UK department of health instructing NHS trusts to discontinue elective operating procedures for a period of at least 3 months (1). This also affected provision and delivery of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) services. SCS is a well-established, safe and effective therapy used for treatment of chronic neuropathic pain as per NICE guidelines 159. The majority of the centres in UK had to suspend SCS services in the pandemic and as part of elective recovery program, only those patients with high prioritisation were offered neuromodulation. At Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the largest tertiary centre services in UK we were able to provide the services as part of elective recovery program.