A cross-sectional study evaluating hospitalization rates for chronic limb-threatening ischemia during the COVID-19 outbreak in Campania, Italy

the expansion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted measures of disease containment by the Italian government with a national lockdown on march 9, 2020. the purpose of this study is to evaluate the rate of hospitalization and mode of in-hospital treatment of patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) before and during lockdown in the campania region of Italy. the study population includes all patients with CLTI hospitalized in campania over a 10-week period: 5 weeks before and 5 weeks during lockdown (n = 453). patients were treated medically and/or underwent urgent revascularization and/or major amputation of the lower extremities. mean age was 69.2 +/- 10.6 years and 27.6% of the patients were women. during hospitalization, 21.9% of patients were treated medically, 78.1% underwent revascularization, and 17.4% required amputations. In the weeks during the lockdown, a reduced rate of hospitalization for CLTI was observed compared with the weeks before lockdown (25 vs 74/100,000 inhabitants/year; incidence rate ratio: 0.34, 95% CI 0.32-0.37). this effect persisted to the end of the study period. an increased amputation rate in the weeks during lockdown was observed (29.3% vs 13.4%; p < 0.001). this study reports a reduced rate of CLTI-related hospitalization and an increased in-hospital amputation rate during lockdown in campania. ensuring appropriate treatment for patients with CLTI should be prioritized, even during disease containment measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other similar conditions.