Impact of the First Six Months of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Orthopedic and Hand Trauma Surgery

Abstract

Reduced mobility due to COVID-19 prevention measures caused major changes in the number and types of orthopedic trauma cases. This study aimed to compare the profile of trauma-related general orthopedic surgery and hand surgery cases between the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding periods of previous years in order to determine strategies for managing orthopedic traumas in unusual circumstances such as pandemics. Patients over 18 years old who underwent orthopedic surgery due to trauma were grouped according to sur gery date as pre-pandemic group 1 (G1, March 16–September 18, 2018), pre-pandemic group 2 (G2, March 18–September 20, 2019), and the pandemic group (G3, March 19–September 21, 2020). Between-group differences with p