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High-energy trauma is defined as severe organic injuries resulting from events that generate a large amount of kinetic, electrical, or thermal energy. It represents a significant public health concern, accounting for 10% of global mortality. This article aims to describe the epidemiology of high-energy trauma in Chile. Specifically, it seeks to compare the mortality rate per 100 000 inhabitants among member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO), provide a descriptive analysis of notifications under the Explicit Health Guarantees (GES) for the health issue of polytraumatized patients, and analyze the trend in the mortality rate due to external causes in Chile. This study employs an ecological design using three open-access databases. First, the WHO database on deaths from traffic accidents in 2019 was used. Then, the GES database was consulted for the "Polytraumatized" issue between 2018 and 2022. Finally, the Chilean Department of Health Statistics database on causes of death between 1997 and 2020 was utilized. In 2019, Chile ranked in the middle regarding the mortality rate per 100 000 inhabitants due to traffic accidents. GES notifications for polytrauma predominantly involved men aged 20 to 40 years and those affiliated with the public health system, highlighting a primary focus for prevention efforts. Mortality from accidents showed a decreasing trend, with significant structural changes identified in 2000 and 2007., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Objective: The efficient use of wards intended for elective surgeries is essential to resolve cases on the surgical waiting list. This study aims to estimate the efficiency of ward use in the Chilean public health system between 2018 and 2021., Methods: The design was an ecological study. Section A.21 of the database constructed by the monthly statistical summaries that each public health network facility reported to the Ministry of Health between 2018 and 2021 was analyzed. Data from subsections A, E and F were extracted: ward staffing, total elective surgeries by specialty, number and causes of suspension of elective surgeries. Then, the surgical performance during working hours and the percentage of hourly occupancy for a working day was estimated. Additionally, an analysis was made by region with data from 2021., Results: The percentage of elective wards in use ranged from 81.1% to 94.1%, while those enabled for those staffing ranged from 70.5% to 90.4% during 2018 and 2021. The total number of surgeries was highest in 2019 (n = 416 339), but for 2018, 2020, and 2021 it ranged from 259 000 to 297 000. Suspensions varied between 10.8% (2019) and 6.9% (2021), with the leading cause being patient-related. When analyzing the number of cases canceled monthly by facility, we saw that the leading cause was trade union-related. The maximum throughput of a ward intended for elective surgery was reached in 2019 and was 2.5 surgeries; in 2018, 2020 and 2021, the throughput borders on two surgeries per ward enabled for elective surgery. The percentage of ward time occupied during working hours by contract day varies between 80.7% (2018) and 56.8% (2020)., Conclusions: All the parameters found and estimated in this study show that there is an inefficient utilization of operating rooms in Chilean public healthcare facilities., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis affects the quality of life, with knee arthroplasty being a cost-effective treatment for the severe stage of this disease. Access to knee arthroplasty is a health indicator of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The objectives of this study are to determine the incidence of knee arthroplasty between 2004 and 2021 in beneficiaries of the National Health Fund in Chile, the proportion of patients who underwent surgery in the private system, and to estimate the patient's out-of-pocket expenditure for surgery. Methods: Cross-sectional study. We used the Department of Statistics and Health Information database. Patients discharged from a Chilean health center who underwent knee arthroplasty surgery between 2004 and 2021 were investigated. We analyzed the proportion of patients by their National Health Fund category and whether their surgery was performed in public or private network facilities. Results: Of the 31 526 knee arthroplasty procedures, 21 248 (67.38%) were performed on National Health Fund patients and 16 238 in public institutions (51.49%). Patients from the National Health Fund showed a systematic increase in knee arthroplasty volume until 2019 but decreased in 2020 and 2021 by 68% and 51%. Of the total number of patients in the public system operated on for knee arthroplasty, 856 (9%) belonged to group A1, 12 806 (60%) to group B, 2044 (10%) to group C, and 4421 (21%) to group D. The expenditure incurred by these patients was estimated to vary between 24.4% and 27.2%. The historical proportions of access to this surgery in private institutions are 7% in group A, 13% in group B, 24% in group C, and 52% in group D. Conclusion: Fifty percent of knee arthroplasty surgeries are performed in public institutions, and two-thirds are performed on patients of the National Health Fund. Forty-six percent of the C and D groups were operated in the private system. The pandemic has increased the access gap, leading to a substantial increase in the proportion of patients from the National Health Fund of the B, C, and D groups who have migrated to the private system to access this surgery., Competing Interests: None of the authors declares conflicts of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Introduction: The need for beds and health personnel to treat coronavirus (COVID- 19) patients has led to the suspension of many elective sur-geries in Chile, including knee arthroplasties. This study aims to determine the incidence of knee arthroplasty in 2020, reflecting the effect of the COVID- 19 pandemic, and estimate the cost and time it would take to recover the waiting list prior to March 2020., Methods: A cross- sectional study was designed. We analyzed databases from The Department of Statistics and Health Information databases from Chile for 2019 and 2020, identifying patients with surgical discharges associated with knee arthroplasty codes. We estimated the time it would take to recover the surgeries unperformed in 2020 by simulating a monthly workload increase from the 2019 baseline. The costs of knee arthroplasty paid by the National Health Fund to institutions were estimated by diagnosis-related groups., Results: We found that the incidence rate of knee arthroplasty in 2020 decreased by 64% compared with 2019. The impact was higher in the public system (68%) and the National Health Found (63%). A simulated increase in knee arthroplasty productivity by 30% would allow recovering the postponed knee arthroplasty surgeries in 27 months, at a monthly cost to the public system of 318 million Chilean pesos (378 thousand US dollars)., Conclusions: The incidence rate of knee arthroplasty during 2020 decreased by 64%, revealing the extensive waiting line for people with knee osteoarthritis. An increase between 20- 40% in productivity compared with 2019 would allow recovering the unperformed surgeries in 20 to 41 months, at a monthly cost to the public network between 210 and 425 million Chilean pesos (250 to 506 thousand US dollars).

Purpose: To describe patient-reported outcomes, radiological results, and revision to total hip replacement in patients with hip dysplasia that underwent periacetabular osteotomy as isolated treatment or concomitant with hip arthroscopy., Methods: Case series study. Between 2014 and 2017, patients were included if they complained of hip pain and had a lateral center-edge angle ≤ of 20°. Exclusion criteria included an in-maturate skeleton, age of 40 or older, previous hip surgery, concomitant connective tissue related disease, and Tönnis osteoarthritis grade ≥ 1. All patients were studied before surgery with an anteroposterior pelvis radiograph, false-profile radiograph, and magnetic resonance imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess intraarticular lesions, and if a labral or chondral injury was found, concomitant hip arthroscopy was performed. The non-parametric median test for paired data was used to compare radiological measures (anterior and lateral center-edge angle, Tönnis angle, and extrusion index) after and before surgery. Survival analysis was performed using revision to total hip arthroplasty as a failure. Kaplan Meier curve was estimated. The data were processed using Stata., Results: A total of 15 consecutive patients were included; 14 (93%) were female patients. The median follow-up was 3.5 years (range, 2 to 8 years). The median age was 20 (range 13 to 32). Lateral center-edge angle, Tönnis angle, and extrusion index correction achieved statistical significance. Seven patients (47%) underwent concomitant hip arthroscopy; three of them (47%) were bilateral (10 hips). The labrum was repaired in six cases (60%). Three patients (15%) required revision with hip arthroplasty, and no hip arthroscopy-related complications are reported in this series., Conclusion: To perform a hip arthroscopy concomitant with periacetabular osteotomy did not affect the acetabular correction. Nowadays, due to a lack of conclusive evidence, a case by case decision seems more appropriate to design a comprehensive treatment.

Background: The purpose of this study is to determine if patients with osteoarthritis that undergo hip or knee arthroplasty jeopardize their life expectancy in Chile., Methods: A survival analysis study was designed and approved by our institutional ethics review board. Patients were included if they underwent surgery for hip or knee osteoarthritis and were 50 years or older at the time of surgery. Patients were excluded if arthroplasty was performed for fracture, hemophilia arthropathy, or tumor. A multiparametric Weibull regression was estimated, and the hazard ratio was reported. For internal validity, a bootstrap of 200 repetitions was performed., Results: A total of 4 094 arthroplasties were included. The Kaplan-Meier curve estimates a higher survival than the general population up to 12 years, after which the median survival is less than the general population. The bootstrap multiparametric Weibull regression estimated a hazard ratio of 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 1.27 to 1.84) for women, 1.09 (1.08 to 1.10) for every year older, and 1.29 (1.07 to 1.53) for hip arthroplasty patients., Conclusion: Mortality after hip and knee arthroplasty in Chile follows a bimodal behavior similar to reports from the United States and Europe. At first, mortality is lower than the general population but worsens after 12 to 15 years of surgery.

Purpose: To describe the incidence of hip fracture in Chile during 2017, identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality, and estimate annual case fatality rate., Method: The study design was cross-sectional and analytical. We obtained the registries of all patients from the Chilean Ministry of Health who were treated for hip fracture between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. We used multivariate logistic regression to estimate the risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The annual case fatality rate was calculated using the probabilities obtained by estimating a logistic regression model in previous work. The estimated crude mortality rate per 100 000 persons was compared with that of cancer, as reported by the Ministry of Health., Results: During 2017, 7421 hip fractures occurred, resulting in an incidence of 40 per 100 000 persons. Of these, 1574 (21.21%) cases did not undergo surgery. In-hospital mortality was found to be associated with no surgery (odds ratio 8.32, 6.20 to 11.17), and being treated in a public hospital (odds ratio 1.62, 1.00 to 2.68). The estimated annual case fatality rate was 0.30 (0.27 to 0.33), and the crude mortality rate per 100 000 persons was 10.78 (9.66 to 11.71)., Conclusion: Hip fractures mainly affect the population over 60 years old and women. Chile has an excessively high rate of non-operated patients compared to international reports. There is a significant difference between care in a public hospital compared to private clinics in terms of volume, access to surgery, hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, and estimated case fatality rate.