Management of resources for orthopedic oncology and trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic - a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction/Objective This study aims to evaluate changes in surgical strategy and orthopedic epidemiology, and to compare the frequency of surgeries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods For periods from April 1 to May 31 in years 2019 and 2020, retrospective data on patient demographics and types of orthopedic surgical procedures were obtained from hospital databases in a tertiary referral hospital. Results During the COVID-19 pandemic, the most common orthopedic surgical procedures performed were trauma surgery (n = 81), while other procedures were referred to oncology (n = 19), biopsy (n = 11), debridement (n = 10), amputation (n = 6), surgery of dysplastic hip (n = 5), and knee ligament repair (n = 1). The majority of trauma cases were hip fracture surgeries (n = 23). The mean age of the patients was 70.5 years. Sixty-three patients were female and 70 were male. Only one patient had a history of COVID-19 infection. In the same period during the year before the pandemic, 86 patients had trauma surgery, while 49 had oncological surgery and the mean patient's age was 54.5 years. Sixty-two patients in this group were female, and 73 were male. The number of tumor surgeries before the pandemic was higher compared to the same period during the pandemic (p < 0.05). Conclusion During the pandemic, although all orthopedic surgeries decreased, the rate of osteoporotic hip fractures surgery was similar to that of the pre-pandemic state. This finding emphasizes the increased need to implement preventive measures regarding hip fractures during lockdown periods. The relation of hip and spine osteoporotic fractures surgery was not different before and during the pandemic.