Trends in Neurotrauma Epidemiology, Management, and Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kigali, Rwanda

National regulations to curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission and health care resource reallocation may have impacted incidence and treatment for neurotrauma, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal trauma, but these trends have not been characterized in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study analyzes differences in epidemiology, management, and outcomes preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic for neurotrauma patients in a Rwandan tertiary hospital. The study setting was the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK), Rwanda's national referral hospital. Adult injury patients presenting to the CHUK Emergency Department (ED) were prospectively enrolled from January 27, 2020 to June 28, 2020. Study personnel collected data on demographics, injury characteristics, serial neurological examinations, treatment, and outcomes. Differences in patients before (January 27, 2020 to March 21, 2020) and during (June 1, 2020 to June 28, 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic were assessed using chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study population included 216 patients with neurotrauma (83.8% TBI, 8.3% spine trauma, and 7.9% with both). Mean age was 34.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12.5) and 77.8% were male. Patients predominantly experienced injury following a road traffic accident (RTA; 65.7%). Weekly volume for TBI (mean = 16.5 vs. 17.1, p = 0.819) and spine trauma (mean = 2.0 vs. 3.4, p = 0.086) was similar between study periods. During the pandemic, patients had lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores (mean = 13.8 vs. 14.3, p = 0.068) and Kampala Trauma Scores (KTS; mean = 14.0 vs. 14.3, p = 0.097) on arrival, denoting higher injury severity, but these differences only approached significance. Patients treated during the pandemic period had higher occurrence of hemorrhage, contusion, or fracture on computed tomography (CT) imaging (47.1% vs. 26.7%, p = 0.003) and neurological decline (18.6% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.016). Hospitalizations also increased significantly during COVID-19 (54.6% vs. 39.9%, p = 0.048). Craniotomy rates doubled during the pandemic period (25.7% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.003), but mortality was unchanged (5.5% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.944). Neurotrauma volume remained unchanged at CHUK during the COVID-19 pandemic, but presenting patients had higher injury acuity and craniotomy rates. These findings may inform care during pandemic conditions in Rwanda and similar settings.