A retrospective study of infection prevention in emergency and confined operations at Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital during the epidemic of COVID-19 / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To summarize our experience in prevention of COVID-19 infection in emergency and confined operations during the first 3 weeks after Spring Festival in 2020.Methods:From February 3rd to 23rd, 2020, 151 patients were admitted to Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital for emergency and confined operations. In this cohort, 125 patients were admitted to ordinary wards. They were 70 males and 55 females with an age of 51.1 years ± 14.9 years. Of them, 2 were subjected to emergency operation and 123 to confined operation. The mean time from injury to operation was 9.9 days ± 6.1 days. There were 26 cases in the senile wards, 7 males and 19 females with an age of 80.8 years ± 7.0 years all of whom underwent confined operations. The mean time from injury to operation was 8.4 days ± 6.3 days. The protocols for emergency diagnosis, admission, emergency and confined operations, postoperative rehabilitation and management of suspects with COVID-19 during the epidemic of COVID-19 were optimized according to Diagnosis and Treatment Protocols for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial version 5), emergency responding pre-plans of our hospital, and our experience in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) as well.Results:The patients in the ordinary wards had a hospital stay of 6.8 days ± 4.6 days while those in the senile wards 5.1 days ± 2.0 days. Abnormal temperature (≥37.3 ℃) was observed perioperatively in 17 cases in the ordinary wards. It was absorption fever in all and appeared in 4 cases upon admission. Fever appeared in 11 patients in the senile wards and upon admission in 3 of them. One senile patient who had been diagnosed of normal pneumonia returned to normal temperature and remained stable conditions after antibiotic therapy. The other patients were free of complications related to COVID-19 during their hospital stay.Conclusion:The first-line medical staff working at emergency department, wards and surgical theaters must heighten their vigilance against COVID-19 infection and rigorously follow protocols for prevention of COVID-19 infection in their daily clinical practice.