The Impact of Covid-19 on the Epidemiological Profile of Fractures

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological transition of fractures in patients who were treated in a tertiary hospital which is reference in traumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the changes in trauma service. Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive analysis of data on orthopedics lesions treated at Instituto Doutor Jose Frota between December 16, 2019 and June 16, 2020 (three months before and after the first case of COVID-19 in Ceará). Results: In total, we evaluated 913 patients, 28.5% of which were women and 71.5%, men. We found a significative reduction (p < 0.05) in the proportion of female patients operated in the analyzed time. We also observed an increase in patients’ mean age, 35.4 years before the pandemic, and 38.48 (p = 0.04) during the consecutive period. Trauma mechanisms significantly changed (p < 0.05), with a proportional increase of high-energy traumas and reduction of instances of falling. We found a 11.9% reduction in orthopedic surgeries, from 655 to 577 at the time after the first case of COVID-19 (p = 0.071). Mean hospitalization length (p < 0.001) and time until surgeries decreased (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We observed the impact of lockdown in this hospital of trauma especially via the decreased number of operated cases and the change in patients’ profile and trauma mechanism. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Comparative Study.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Profile, Seasonality and Incidence of Femur Fracture Cases in Brazilian Young Adults

“…Even with the pandemic, femur fractures in young adults continued to have an important impact on the Brazilian health system, and their incidence increased during the period studied. The demographic profile showed a difference between the regions of Brazil, with a predominance in the North and Northeast, and a higher incidence in individuals under 35 years old (Alencar et al, 2022;Reimers et al, 2007;Baker et al, 2022).…”

“…The increase in the incidence of fractures resulting from high-energy trauma is an unexpected trend, given that restrictive measures should reduce the number of vehicles on the road and the number of people on the streets, as has been reported in some trauma referral centers (Alencar et al, 2022;Reimers et al, 2007).…”

“…It began on March 11, 2020 and ended on May 5, 2023 by the World Health Organization (Baloch et al, 2020;Ciotti et al, 2020;Souto, 2020). In addition to the direct impact of the disease, the health system faced a series of unprecedented logistical and care challenges (Alencar et al, 2022;Silva et al, 2022;Heinz et al, 2023).…”