Back to Search
Start Over
Reduced number of pediatric orthopedic trauma requiring operative treatment during COVID-19 restrictions:a nationwide cohort study
- Source :
- Scandinavian Journal of Surgery
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- SAGE Publications, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background and Aims: The coronavirus outbreak significantly changed the need of healthcare services. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the frequency of pediatric fracture operations. We also hypothesized that the frequency of emergency pediatric surgical operations decreased as well, as a result of patient-related reasons, such as neglecting or underestimating the symptoms, to avoid hospital admission. Materials and Methods: Nationwide data were individually collected and analyzed in all five tertiary pediatric surgical/trauma centers in Finland. Operations related to fractures, appendicitis, and acute scrotum in children aged above 16 years between March 1 and May 31 from 2017 to 2020 were identified. The monthly frequencies of operations and type of traumas were compared between prepandemic 3 years and 2020. Results: Altogether, 1755 patients were identified in five tertiary hospitals who had an emergency operation during the investigation period. There was a significant decrease (31%, p = 0.03) in trauma operations. It was mostly due to reduction in lower limb trauma operations (32%, p = 0.006). Daycare, school, and organized sports–related injuries decreased significantly during the pandemic. These reductions were observed in March and in April. The frequencies of appendectomies and scrotal explorations remained constant. Conclusion: According to the postulation, a great decrease in the need of trauma operations was observed during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, in case similar public restrictions are ordered, the spared resources could be deployed to other clinical areas. However, the need of pediatric surgical emergencies held stable during the COVID-19 restrictions.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Adolescent
pediatric orthopedics
coronavirus
medicine.disease_cause
Testicular Diseases
Cohort Studies
03 medical and health sciences
Fractures, Bone
0302 clinical medicine
3123 Gynaecology and paediatrics
Original Research Articles
Pandemic
Health care
medicine
pediatric surgery
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Child
Pandemics
Finland
Coronavirus
030222 orthopedics
Health Services Needs and Demand
business.industry
SARS-CoV-2
pandemic
Outbreak
Infant
COVID-19
fractures
3126 Surgery, anesthesiology, intensive care, radiology
Appendicitis
Orthopedic trauma
Child, Preschool
Emergency medicine
Acute Disease
Scrotum
Surgery
Female
Emergencies
business
Cohort study
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scandinavian Journal of Surgery
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....87d10fab5e3e13fb1501806a1adc05a6