Trauma Centre, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa; Trauma Advocacy Group, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2020 Dec 14;111(2):110-113. doi: 10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i2.15318.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown restrictions and a ban on alcohol sales were introduced in South Africa. Objectives. To investigate the impact of lockdown measures on the number of patients who visited a tertiary urban trauma centre. Methods. The period of investigation was from 1 February to 30 June 2020 and was segmented into three intervals: pre-lockdown (February and March 2020), hard lockdown (April and May 2020) and immediately post lockdown (June 2020). The electronic HECTIS health record registry was interrogated for the total number of patients that were seen per month. These were further categorised according to mechanism of injury (stab, gunshot, blunt assault and road traffic injuries). Penetrating (stab and gunshot) and blunt assault victims were collectively grouped as violent trauma. Results. The mean total number of patients seen decreased by 53% during the hard lockdown period. There was a moderate reduction (15%) in patients with gunshot injuries seen during the hard lockdown phase, but there was an 80% increase in the post-lockdown period. The proportion of patients injured in road traffic collisions pre lockdown, hard lockdown and immediate post lockdown was 16.4%, 8.9% and 11.1%, respectively. Patients injured in road traffic collisions decreased by 74% during the hard lockdown period and maintained a reduction of 32% during the immediate post-lockdown period. The mean total number of patients who visited the trauma unit returned to pre-lockdown levels in June. Conclusions. There was an overall trend of reduced number of patients who visited the trauma unit during the hard lockdown period; however, these numbers returned to pre-lockdown levels during the immediate post-lockdown period. The number of road traffic injury admissions remained reduced during all three phases of lockdown, while the number of gunshot victims increased substantially during the post-lockdown period.
针对冠状病毒疫情，南非实施了封锁限制和酒类销售禁令。目的。调查封锁措施对访问三级城市创伤中心的患者人数的影响。方法。调查期间为 2020 年 2 月 1 日至 6 月 30 日，并分为三个时间段：封锁前（2020 年 2 月和 3 月）、硬封锁（2020 年 4 月和 5 月）和封锁后立即（2020 年 6 月）。电子 HECTIS 健康记录登记处被询问每月就诊的总人数。根据损伤机制（刺伤、枪击、钝器袭击和道路交通伤害）进一步进行分类。穿透性（刺伤和枪击）和钝器袭击受害者被集体归为暴力性创伤。结果。在硬封锁期间，就诊的患者总数平均减少了 53%。硬封锁期间，枪击伤患者减少了 15%，但封锁后时期增加了 80%。在封锁前、硬封锁和封锁后立即阶段，因道路交通碰撞受伤的患者比例分别为 16.4%、8.9%和 11.1%。在硬封锁期间，因道路交通碰撞受伤的患者减少了 74%，并在封锁后立即阶段保持了 32%的减少。6 月，访问创伤单位的患者总数恢复到封锁前水平。结论。在硬封锁期间，访问创伤单位的患者总数总体呈下降趋势；然而，这些数字在封锁后立即阶段恢复到封锁前水平。在所有三个封锁阶段，道路交通伤害入院人数仍然减少，而枪击受害者人数在封锁后阶段大幅增加。
