The impact of COVID-19 on traumatic hand injuries: A Turkish survey

ABSTRACT

Aim: Our aim in the study is to perform a comparative analysis of traumatic hand injuries during the quarantine period of the COVID-19 pandemic with data of the previous year and to research the effect of quarantine on hand injuries. Material and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who presented to the emergency department with traumatic hand injuries between 16.03.2020 and 01.06.2020 and within the same period of 2019. Patients' age, gender, injury mechanism, length of hospitalization, ethnic origin, presence of major and digital nerve injuries, presence of bone injury, emergency or elective surgery data were recorded. The data were analyzed statistically in comparison with the previous year. Results: A total of 301 patients participated in the study. There were 117 patients in 2020, and 184 patients in 2019. When patients of both years were examined in terms of age, gender and length of hospitalization, there was no statistically significant difference between the patients who were operated for hand injuries between 2020 and 2019 (p 0.05). When patients who were operated due to hand injuries were examined in terms of differences in ethnic origin, operation under emergency conditions and accompanying bone injury between both groups, a statistically significant difference was found between them (p<0.05). Discussion: A decrease was observed in the number of traumatic hand injuries admitted to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic;however, there were no changes in etiology. These reference data can help healthcare systems prepare for future outbreaks and similar restrictions.