Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has presented orthopaedic services with new challenges across all aspects of healthcare delivery. This study explores the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on trauma admissions at a London District General Hospital. METHOD: Data was collected retrospectively from electronic patient records during the lockdown period (16(th) March -30(th)April 2020) and compared to the same dates in 2019. Patient age, date and time of admission, operation and anaesthesia timings and length of stay (LOS) were analysed. RESULTS: Fewer trauma patients were admitted in 2020 (108 vs. 65). Additionally, there was a patient demographics shift, with mean age increasing from 55.6 years to 64.1 years (p = 0.038). Falls remained the leading cause of injury, although the proportion dropped from 75% to 62%. Anaesthesia duration was longer in 2020 (136 vs 83 minutes, p < 0.00001). Similarly, there was a 13.6% increase in median operation length. Finally, although LOS was similar, admission-operation was greatly reduced in 2020 (1.22 days vs 4.74, p < 0.0000001). CONCLUSIONS: Orthopaedic trauma care remains a vital service, particularly in high-volume hospitals. By understanding the effects of the lockdown on trauma admissions, healthcare managers can more effectively plan for future changes in non-emergent trauma service delivery as we move towards easing lockdown restrictions.