Changes in organization of activity of hand surgery department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many medical specialties throughout the world, including hand surgery. Emergency hand surgery deals with a wide spectrum of injuries, including bone fractures, nerve, tendon and vessel cuts, complex injuries and amputations. These traumas occur independently to the phase of the pandemic. Aim: The objective of this study was presentation of changes in organization of activity of hand surgery department during the COVID-19 pandemic. Modifications of the activity were described in details. Material and methods: Over a period of the pandemic (from April 2020 to March 2022), a total of 4150 patients were treated, in this number 2327 (56%) with acute injuries and 1823 (44%) with common hand diseases. Forty-one (1%) patients were diagnosed COVID-19 positive, 19 (46%) with hand injuries and 32 (54%) with hand disorders. One case of work-related COVID-19 infection was registered in the 6-people clinic team in analysed period. Results: Results of this study show effectiveness of measures undertaken in the author’s institution to prevent the coronavirus infection and viral transmission in hand surgery staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]