| Abstrakt: |
During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant declines in the number of admissions due to several critical disorders have been reported, including cardiovascular diseases and malignancies. However, little is known regarding orthopedic admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to compare the number of orthopedic surgeries prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a private hospital designated as a secondary healthcare institute. The Turkish Ministry of Health announced strict containment measures and quarantining for those aged <20 and =65 years old and aired public messages regarding the importance of staying at home on March 21, 2020. We analyzed orthopedic surgical procedures performed in our private secondary healthcare institute. The primary outcome measure of this study was the difference in the numbers of orthopedic surgeries between the pre-COVID-19 era and the COVID-19 era. There was a significant decline (pre-COVID-19 vs. COVID-19 era) in the total number of surgical procedures (613 vs. 526, p=0.010), and the numbers of arthroplasty procedures (132 vs. 88, p=0.003), pediatric trauma interventions (82 vs. 49, p=0.004), and tumor surgeries (44 vs. 27, p=0.044) in the COVID-19 era. Measures imposed for the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey led to a significant decline in various orthopedic surgeries, including trauma and malignancy-related surgeries. Healthcare authorities should not only focus on COVID-19 but also provide care for those with signs and symptoms of severe disorders, including malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
