The Effect of COVID-19 on Rib Fracture Patients in Michigan

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Rib fractures are common injuries in trauma patients.
• The impact of COVID-19 on outcomes for patients with traumatic injuries, specifically rib fractures, requires further investigation.
• Understanding these outcomes is crucial for optimizing patient care and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare hospital outcomes of traumatic rib fracture patients with and without COVID-19.
• To identify if COVID-19 infection influences length of stay, mortality, or other critical care metrics in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study using data from the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program (MTQIP).
• Included adult patients hospitalized with rib fractures between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2022, with a completed COVID-19 test.
• Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed using 20 variables to compare COVID-19 positive (COVID+) and COVID-19 negative (COVID-) groups.

Main Results:

• A total of 13,305 patients were identified, with 232 propensity score-matched pairs (COVID+ vs. COVID-).
• COVID-19 positive patients had a significantly longer hospital length of stay (LOS) (7 days vs. 5 days, P < 0.001).
• No significant differences were observed in secondary outcomes, including mortality, ventilator days, ICU LOS, pneumonia, or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 infection is associated with an increased hospital length of stay in patients with traumatic rib fractures.
• COVID-19 does not appear to significantly increase morbidity or mortality in this specific trauma cohort.
• Further research may explore specific management strategies for COVID-19 positive rib fracture patients to mitigate prolonged LOS.