No delay in care of ambulatory orthopaedic fractures observed during the early Coronavirus-2019 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of social distancing orders on ambulatory orthopaedic fracture care at a level 1 trauma center during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: All ambulatory orthopaedic fractures that presented to the author’s Level 1 trauma center were analyzed retrospectively between December 2019 and June 2020. Patients were divided into prepandemic (n=377) and pandemic (n=224) groups based on the date of presentation. Primary outcomes included new ambulatory fracture volume, and time to presentation and surgery. Secondary outcomes included fracture type and clinic no-show rates. Results: In the first 8 wk after the pandemic began, there was a 60.8% decrease in new patients with ambulatory fractures (24.6/week pre-pandemic, 9.63/week during the first 8 wk, P=0.001). The presentation rate of patients with new ambulatory fractures returned to the prepandemic baseline after the first 8 wk of the pandemic. No significant difference in time to presentation or surgery was noted between groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the presentation rate of the most commonly treated fracture types (ankle, distal radius, hand, or foot) between groups. There was a statistically significant increase in overall clinic no-show rate during the pandemic period. Conclusions: An initial decrease in ambulatory fracture volume was seen during the first 8 wk of the COVID-19 pandemic. No delay in time to presentation or time to surgery was seen between groups. After the first 8 wk of the pandemic, a return to normal ambulatory fracture volume was seen. Level of Evidence: Level III.