COVID-19 had Limited Impact on Resumption of Elective Joint Arthroplasty and Ethnic Disparities.

ABSTRACT

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state recommendations included the postponement of elective arthroplasties until adequate safety measures could be implemented. Following resumption of arthroplasties, exposure fears and financial concerns may have restricted access for some demographics. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the incidence of arthroplasty, both overall and by various demographics, and (2) evaluate if pre-operative patient-reported measures were different throughout the pandemic. Data were collected prospectively as part of an on-site joint registry between January 2019 and April 2021. Phase 1 (N=518) included all patients prior to the cancelation of elective procedures (average 36 cases/month), Phase 2 (N=121) was defined from restart until monthly caseload met/surpassed the average Phase 1 caseload (5 months), and Phase 3 (N=277) included all remaining cases. Multiple analysis of variance and chi-squared tests were performed to compare patient demographics and outcomes between phases. No significant differences were noted in patient demographics, with the exception of a decrease in Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients and an increase in Asian patients during Phase 2 (P =.004). Length of stay decreased for unilateral arthroplasty from Phase 1 (0.9±1.1 days) to Phase 2 (0.4±0.6 days) and Phase 3 (0.6±0.7 days) (P <.001), while pre-operative patient reported outcomes remained similar across the 3 time periods. By implementing proper safety measures, the current orthopedic center achieved a timely recovery with no long-lasting inconsistencies in patient cohorts upon resumption of arthroplasties.