The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Orthopedic Trauma Management; A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare emergency orthopedic trauma admissions between the pre- and pandemic periods and detect changes in orthopedic trauma epidemiology. Methods: A total of 40,700 patients admitted within 1 year between March 2019 and March 2020 comprised the pre-pandemic group and 16,935 patients admitted between March 2020 and March 2021 comprised the pandemic group. Demographic characteristics of the patients, such as age and gender, were recorded. In addition, the injury mechanisms of the patients, diagnosis, injured extremity or anatomical region, broken bone, fracture classification, multitrauma rates, trauma-related complications, hospitalization days, and treatment modalities were examined. Results: In the pre-pandemic period, the mean age of the patients was younger, and the distributions of pediatric/adolescent patients and female patients were higher compared with the pandemic period (p=0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.001; respectively). Fractures and dislocations were more frequent in the pandemic period, whereas soft tissue injuries were more common in the pre-pandemic period (p=0.001). Home accidents increased and occupational accidents decreased during the pandemic period (p=0.001). The rate of surgical treatment statistically increased during the pandemic period (p=0.001). Conclusion: Considering the epidemiology of orthopedic trauma, estimating the trauma burden and optimizing resource use and allocation are very important for maintaining safe and effective treatment services for patients in extraordinary situations such as the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, which can cause serious disruptions in the healthcare system.