COVID-19 Changed the Incidence and the Pattern of Pediatric Traumas: A Single-Centre Study in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Laura Ruzzini, Sergio De Salvatore, Daniela Lamberti, Pierluigi Maglione, Ilaria Piergentili, Francesca Crea, Chiara Ossella and Pier Francesco Costici
Additional contact information
Laura Ruzzini: Department of Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy
Sergio De Salvatore: Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University, 21 Via Álvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
Daniela Lamberti: Department of Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy
Pierluigi Maglione: Department of Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy
Ilaria Piergentili: Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University, 21 Via Álvaro del Portillo, 00128 Rome, Italy
Francesca Crea: Department of Emergency, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy
Chiara Ossella: Department of Emergency, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy
Pier Francesco Costici: Department of Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesù, Palidoro, 00165 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: The first wave of COVID-19 spread worldwide from March to May 2020. Italy was one of the countries in the world where the lockdown period was most prolonged and restrictive. To date, the impact of prolonged lockdown on pediatric traumas has not fully investigated. This paper aimed to analyze, and compare to 2019, the incidence and the fracture pattern in patients admitted to our pediatric hospital during the total lockdown period. A single-center retrospective study was performed. The data were gathered from the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) of the Bambino Gesù Children Hospital of Rome (Palidoro). This PED is the pediatric referral center for Rome and the hub for pediatric traumas of the region. Any admission diagnosis for fracture, trauma, sprains and dislocation during the lockdown period (10 March–4 May) were included. The demographic data, diagnosis, type of treatment, fracture segment, bone involvement and time interval between trauma and presentation to the PED were recorded. In 2020, a reduction of total traumas and fractures, compared to 2019 ( p < 0.001), occurred (81%). Superior limb and inferior limb fractures decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 ( p < 0.05). The identification of pediatric traumas and fractures trend could be useful to reorganize the PED. Epidemiological data from the previous lockdown could be helpful to prepare the healthcare system for new pandemic waves. Moreover, sharing national statistics and correlating those to other countries’ protocols, could be helpful to solve problems in case of worldwide emergency situations.

Keywords: COVID 19; epidemiology; pediatric; trauma; fracture; children; lockdown (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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