Burdick Gabriel B, Beydoun Rami S, Bell Kerri L, Fathima Bushra, Pietroski Alexander D, Warren Jonathan R, Wolterink Trevor D, Kasto Johnny K, Sanii Ryan Y, Muh Stephanie
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Aug 31;15(8):e44478. doi: 10.7759/cureus.44478. eCollection 2023 Aug.
Introduction During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a rapid and significant transformation in patient management occurred across the healthcare system in order to mitigate the spread of the disease and address resource constraints. Numerous surgical cases were either postponed or canceled, permitting only the most critical and emergent cases to proceed. The impact of these modifications on patient outcomes remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare time-to-surgery and outcomes of open reduction and internal fixation for trimalleolar ankle fractures during the pandemic to a pre-pandemic group. We hypothesized that the pandemic group would have a prolonged time-to-surgery and worse outcomes compared to the pre-pandemic cohort. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted within a single healthcare system, examining the treatment of trimalleolar ankle fractures during two distinct periods: April to July 2020 (COVID-19 group) and January to December 2018 (2018 group). Cases were identified using Current Procedural Terminology code 27822. Information on demographics, fracture characteristics, and outcomes was obtained through chart review. Outcomes analyzed included time-to-surgery, mean visual analog scale scores, ankle strength and range of motion, and complications. Results COVID-19 and 2018 groups consisted of 32 and 100 patients, respectively. No significant difference was observed in group demographics and comorbidities (p > 0.05). Fracture characteristics were similar between groups apart from tibiofibular syndesmosis injury, 62.5% (20/32) in COVID-19 vs 42.0% (42/100) in 2018 (p = 0.03). Time-to-surgery was not significantly different between the two groups (8.84 ± 6.78 days in COVID-19 vs 8.61 ± 6.02 days in 2018, p = 0.85). Mean visual analog scale scores, ankle strength, and ankle range of motion in plantarflexion were not significantly different between the two groups at three and six months postoperatively (p > 0.05). Dorsiflexion was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group at three months (p = 0.03), but not six months (p = 0.94) postoperatively. No significant difference in postoperative complication was seen between groups, 25.0% (8/32) COVID-19 group compared to 15.0% (15/100) 2018 group (p = 0.11). Conclusions Patients who underwent surgery during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic did not experience prolonged time-to-surgery and had similar outcomes compared to patients treated prior to the pandemic.
引言 在2019年冠状病毒病(COVID-19)大流行期间,整个医疗系统的患者管理发生了迅速而重大的转变,以减轻疾病传播并应对资源限制。许多外科手术病例被推迟或取消,仅允许最危急和紧急的病例进行手术。这些调整对患者预后的影响仍不确定。本研究的目的是比较大流行期间三踝骨折切开复位内固定的手术时间和预后与大流行前组。我们假设,与大流行前队列相比,大流行组的手术时间会延长且预后更差。
材料与方法 这项回顾性队列研究在单一医疗系统内进行,检查两个不同时期三踝骨折的治疗情况:2020年4月至7月(COVID-19组)和2018年1月至12月(2018组)。使用当前手术操作术语代码27822识别病例。通过病历审查获得人口统计学、骨折特征和预后信息。分析的预后指标包括手术时间、平均视觉模拟量表评分、踝关节力量和活动范围以及并发症。
结果 COVID-19组和2018组分别有32例和100例患者。两组在人口统计学和合并症方面未观察到显著差异(p>0.05)。除胫腓联合损伤外,两组骨折特征相似,COVID-19组为62.5%(20/32),2018组为42.0%(42/100)(p=0.03)。两组手术时间无显著差异(COVID-19组为8.84±6.78天,2018组为8.61±6.02天,p=0.85)。术后3个月和6个月时,两组的平均视觉模拟量表评分、踝关节力量和踝关节跖屈活动范围无显著差异(p>0.05)。COVID-19组术后3个月背屈明显更高(p=0.03),但术后6个月无差异(p=0.94)。两组术后并发症无显著差异,COVID-19组为25.0%(8/32),2018组为15.0%(15/100)(p=0.11)。
结论 在COVID-19大流行的最初几个月接受手术的患者,与大流行前接受治疗的患者相比,手术时间没有延长,预后相似。