Title
Traumatic Injury Under COVID-19 Stay-at-home Advisory: Experience of a New England Trauma Center
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Surgery
Publication Date
2021-08-10
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Infectious Disease | Surgery | Trauma | Virus Diseases
Abstract
BACKGROUND: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent widespread stay-at-home advisories throughout early 2020, hospitals have noticed a decrease in illnesses unrelated to COVID-19. However, the impact on traumatic injury is relatively unknown. This study aims to characterize patterns of trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Level I Trauma Center.
MATERIALS and METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of adult trauma patients from March to June, in the years 2018 through 2020. Primary outcome was the number of trauma activations (volume). Secondary outcomes included activation level, mechanism of injury, mortality rate, and length of stay, and other demographic background. Trauma patterns of the 2018 and 2019 periods were combined as historical control, and compared to patterns of the biweekly-matched period of 2020.
RESULTS: A total of 2,187 patients were included in analysis (Pre-COVID n = 1,572; COVID n = 615). Results were significant for decreased trauma volume but longer length of stay during COVID cohort, and for an increased proportion of males. No significant difference was found for other demographic variables, trauma mechanisms, or severity. Trauma volume patterns mirrored COVID rates in the state.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite a decline in trauma volume, other trauma patterns including severity and mechanism remained unchanged during the COVID-19 period. The decreased volume was not associated with a markedly lower clinical workload, change in team structure, or provider coverage re-distribution. Our data suggests that trauma volume and severity remained high enough during COVID-19 peak to necessitate full staffing, which may provide guidance in the event of a pandemic resurgence.
Keywords
Blunt, COVID19, Injury, Pandemic, Penetrating, Trauma
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.005
Source
Williams CH, Scott EM, Dorfman JD, Simon BJ. Traumatic Injury Under COVID-19 Stay-at-home Advisory: Experience of a New England Trauma Center. J Surg Res. 2021 Aug 10;269:165-170. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.005. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34563843; PMCID: PMC8352668. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
The Journal of surgical research
Related Resources
PubMed ID
34563843
Repository Citation
Williams CH, Scott EM, Dorfman JD, Simon BJ. (2021). Traumatic Injury Under COVID-19 Stay-at-home Advisory: Experience of a New England Trauma Center. COVID-19 Publications by UMass Chan Authors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2021.08.005. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/covid19/307