Lower extremity problems and related surgical procedures before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary healthcare institution

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to investigate whether there was a change in the number of elective surgical procedures and outpatient presentations between the first and second episodes of COVID-19 in a tertiary center in Turkey.Methods: This retrospective study included data concerning patients presenting to the outpatient and emergency departments of orthopedics and vascular surgery and undergoing surgery in these departments during the first (March-April, 2020) and the second episodes (November-December, 2020) of COVID-19 in a tertiary center in Turkey.Results: When the procedures related to orthopedics and traumatology were examined, compared to 2019,the total number of examinations, emergency patients, surgeries, total knee replacement, total hip replacement decreased in 2020, it was seen that the numbers of lower extremity fracture and lower limb amputation increased (both in March-April and November-December periods). When lower extremity vascular procedures were analyzed, we found that the number of all procedures decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 (both in March-April and November-December periods).Conclusion: Our findings show there was a slight increase in admissions to outpatient and emergency departments of orthopedics and vascular surgery department as well as the number of surgical procedures performed during the second episode of the COVID-19 outbreak compared to the first episode. However, both outpatient and emergency department admissions were lower than that of the pre-COVID era, as well as the number of surgical procedures.

Postoperative necrotising fasciitis of the lower limb as an unexpected complication of vascular surgery procedure: Case report

“…The amputation rate of 20.4 % in the study of Park et al and 23.5 % in the study of Irmak et al was similar to the rates in other studies. 15,[18][19][20][21] Presented patient was elderly, in his 8th decade of life. The infection occurred after a surgical intervention and the incision on the skin was the likely site of infection entry.…”