Maintaining Medical Resources to Treat Paediatric Injuries during COVID-19 Lockdown Is Essential—An Epidemiological Analysis of a Level 1 Trauma Centre in Central Europe

Stephan Payr, Andrea Schuller, Theresia Dangl, Philipp Scheider, Thomas Sator, Britta Chocholka, Manuela Jaindl, Elisabeth Schwendenwein and Thomas M. Tiefenboeck
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Stephan Payr: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Andrea Schuller: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Theresia Dangl: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Philipp Scheider: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Thomas Sator: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Britta Chocholka: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Manuela Jaindl: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth Schwendenwein: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Thomas M. Tiefenboeck: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Background: This study examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting decrease in the incidence of various categories of injuries, with the main focus on fractures and mild traumatic brain injuries in a paediatric population. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated all children from 0 to 18 years of age presenting with an injury at the level 1 trauma centre of the University Clinic of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery in Vienna during the lockdown from 16 March to 29 May 2020 compared to records over the same timeframe from 2015 to 2019. Results: In total, 14,707 patients with injuries were included. The lockdown did not lead to a significant decrease in fractures but, instead, yielded a highly significant increase in mild traumatic brain injuries when compared to all injuries that occurred ( p = 0.082 and p = 0.0001) as well as acute injuries (excluding contusions, distortions and miscellaneous non-acute injuries) ( p = 0.309 and p = 0.034). Conclusions: The percentage of paediatric fractures did not decrease at the level 1 trauma centre, and a highly significant proportional increase in paediatric patients with mild traumatic brain injuries was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Therefore, medical resources should be maintained to treat paediatric trauma patients and provide neurological monitoring during pandemic lockdowns.

Keywords: paediatric trauma; fractures; traumatic brain injury; COVID-19; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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