IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HAND AND WRIST ORTHOPEDIC SURGERIES IN A PRIVATE SERVICE

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare systems globally.
• Understanding its impact on elective and emergency surgical procedures is crucial for resource allocation and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volume of elective and emergency hand and wrist surgeries performed at a private orthopedic center.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzed 843 hand and wrist surgeries from March 2018 to February 2022.
• Surgical cases were categorized as elective or emergency and analyzed monthly, quarterly, and annually, comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Main Results:

• The initial four months of the pandemic saw a significant decrease in mean monthly cases (8.3) compared to the pre-pandemic period (14.0; p = 0.002).
• However, surgical volumes recovered, with the March 2021-February 2022 period showing an increase (20.5; p = 0.037).
• Elective hand and wrist surgeries, typically higher than emergency cases, were reduced in the first two quarters of the pandemic, temporarily equaling emergency volumes.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic had a notable but short-lived effect on hand and wrist surgical volumes.
• A significant initial reduction in elective hand and wrist surgeries was followed by a rapid recovery within four months.