888 The Impact Of COVID-19 Pandemic on Orthopaedic Trauma Workload In QEH-Gateshead. (12th October 2021) - Mousa, A
Abstract: Aim: To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Trauma workload after the social distancing and lockdown measures from mid-March 2020. To review the evidence of local experience to support our trauma management during this pandemic to learn for the next time. Method: Retrospective Acute referrals and Trauma theatre cases between: Tuesday 19/03/2019 – Tuesday 30/04/2019 (Pre-COVID) Tuesday 17/03/2020 – Tuesday 28/04/2020 (Post-COVID). Results: Total acute referrals for T&O dropped significantly from 302 to 168 cases over the course of the same 6 weeks period in 2019 (Pre-COVID) and 2020 (Post-COVID). A significant drop in performing ORIF as definitive management of fractures from 33% to only 15% with more reliance on conservative management. During the pandemic, 26% of the fractures were NOF cases in the elderly population which was nearly half this size (15%) last year. This reflects the effect of the national lockdown on reducing the trauma workload of other injuries such as RTC, sports, and leisure activities. Mortality rates doubled postoperatively; 6 cases (2019) and 12 (2020) with 7 cases were COVID negative and 5 cases were positive. With 67 years old median age, the postoperative complications were COVID-19 respiratory infection or cohort-age-related. Conclusions: COVID-19 virus pandemic has hit the world in March 2019. This has dropped Trauma workload significantly due to the lockdown measures which reduced accidents rates and fractures requiring fixation. Unavoidable NOF injuries remain static, regardless of the pandemic measures. Few learning points were absorbed from the first pandemic wave made us prepared for the second and third waves.