COVID-19. An update for orthopedic surgeons

Adapting hip arthroplasty practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Assessing the impact of outpatient care sudden increase on early complications and clinical outcomes

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected access to timely care for patients with hip osteoarthritis requiring total hip replacement (THR). This study aimed to assess the changes in surgical activity, outpatient treatment, length of stay (LOS), discharge destinations, readmission rates, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction before and after the pandemic at our institution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study encompassed patients undergoing primary THR through the direct anterior approach at a single university hospital. Data on demographic characteristics, surgical technique, perioperative management, LOS, discharge destinations, complications, and clinical outcomes were collected. Furthermore, a comparative analysis between the pre-pandemic (2019) and post-pandemic (2022) periods was conducted.

RESULTS

There was a 14% increase in surgical activity post-pandemic, with 214 patients undergoing surgery in 2019 versus 284 in 2022. The percentage of patients managed as outpatients significantly increased from 0.5% in 2019 to 29.6% in 2022 (p < 0.001). LOS decreased from 2.7 ± 1 [0-8] days to 1.4 ± 1.1 [0-12] days (p < 0.001), and the rate of discharge to rehabilitation centres declined from 21.5% to 8.8% (p < 0.001). No significant increase in the readmission rates was observed (1.4% in both periods). At two months postoperatively, the mean HHS and satisfaction rates were comparable between the two groups (p = 1 and p = 0.73, respectively).

DISCUSSION

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical activity at our institution demonstrated an increase compared to the pre-pandemic levels by expanding outpatient care, reducing LOS, and increasing rates of home discharges. Importantly, these changes did not adversely affect rehospitalization rates or early clinical outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Delayed discovery: the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on osteoarthritis clinical trials

CONTEXT

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted clinical research in many medical and surgical fields, resulting in research waste and loss of treatment for patients. Although other areas have been explored, the extent of the pandemic's influence on osteoarthritis (OA) trials is currently unknown.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore the reasons for termination of clinical trials investigating OA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for OA trials and characterized their reason for discontinuation, noting where trialists directly cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for trial discontinuation. We also coded other common reasons for trial discontinuation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to determine the difference in enrollment, funding source, trial phase, allocation, and intervention type between the trials terminated early due to pandemic and nonpandemic reasons.

RESULTS

Out of 135 clinical trials, 119 were included and 27 (22.7 %) of them reported the COVID-19 pandemic as a primary reason for discontinuation, which was the overall most common reason for OA trial discontinuation during the study period. We found statistically significant differences for trials discontinued due to pandemic vs. non-pandemic-related reasons, with trials having sites outside the United States, randomized allocation, and drug or device intervention type being most affected. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding trial phase, funding source, or enrollment.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical trials related to OA. We found that many trials reported discontinuation directly due to the pandemic, which may lead to the loss or delay of novel treatments for OA. To avoid such discontinuation in the future, alternative methods for conducting OA-related clinical trials should be explored and implemented.

Telemedicine Orthopedic Consultations Duration and Timing in Outpatient Clinical Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Orthopedic associations advocated telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent disease transmission without hindering providing services to orthopedic patients. The study aimed to evaluate outpatient orthopedic teleconsultations' timing, length, and organizational issues in the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic based on consecutive orthopedic teleconsultations during the period of the first lockdown. Methods: Orthopedic telemedical consultations (OTCs) were provided from March 23, 2020, to June 1, 2020, and analyzed retrospectively based on mobile smartphone billing and electronic health record. Teleconsultations were based on the legal regulations of telemedicine services in Poland. Results: One thousand seventy-one patients (514 women and 557 men) with a mean age of 41.7 were teleconsulted. The length of the OTC averagely lasted 13.36 min (standard deviation 8.63). Consulted patients suffered from orthopedic disorders 65.3%, musculoskeletal injuries 26.3%, and other diseases 8.4%. Most OTCs were delayed (74.22%) concerning the planned schedule, with a median delay time of 12 min. Only 7.3% of teleconsultations were held precisely on time. Conclusions: Televisit length may not be dependent on gender, older age, or more diagnoses. The services like e-prescriptions, e-Referrals, e-Orders for orthotics, and e-Sick-leaves influence OTC length. Any extension of the patient's OTC may create a "snowball effect" of further delay for each subsequent OTC. Orthopedic teleconsultation requires new understanding and skills by both the patient and specialist physicians. Future research directions should concern the practical aspects of orthopedic teleconsultations, like legal, organizational, and technological issues and their implementation.

Lockdown imposition due to COVID-19 and its effect on orthopedic emergency department in level 1 trauma center in South Asia

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill. One of the most stringent lockdowns in the world was implemented in India. With the entire healthcare system being stretched, emergency orthopaedic services also take a hit. We studied the trends in patient presentation, testing, management, and restructuring of doctors at a tertiary care orthopaedic centre and compared them with the data from the same time period the previous year (2019).

METHOD

Data was collected separately for all the 5 different phases of lockdown and unlock, as well as for the same duration of months in 2019, and was analysed for epidemiological trends.

RESULTS

A rapid fall in the total number of cases was seen during the lockdown, followed by a skewed rise during the unlock. Forearm, wrist, and hip fractures were the most common fractures. Once nucleic acid testing of all patients intended to be admitted was started, a steep rise in coronavirus positivity was seen. There was a reduction in the total number of cases compared to 2019, but it was not as significant as would have been expected due to the complete standstill of activity during the lockdown.

CONCLUSION

During a pandemic, with the healthcare system under a crisis of workforce and infrastructure, there needs to be a separate task force for catering to orthopaedic emergencies since all fractures cannot be managed conservatively and the numbers of trauma-related patients did not show a stark fall as compared to normal months of last year.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 3 Retrospective Case Series.

Rising within the leadership of an orthopaedic society: learning from the presidents

Orthopaedic societies, with their diverse membership from across the world, serve a mission to endorse the progress and innovation in the field of orthopaedics and traumatology with a focus on improving patient care, as well as to encourage and develop education, teaching and research. Such organizations, whether small or large, have been successful in meeting the professional, educational and training needs of its members. The past and future presidents of these societies share insights addressing their professional experiences, lessons learnt and their vision for future leaders of the field. The objective of this article is to summarize the thoughts of presidents of orthopaedic societies from around the globe and to inspire younger and aspiring members of the global orthopaedic fraternity.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the first 100 days on orthopedic trauma surgery practice, the experience of a university hospital in Istanbul

BACKGROUND

With the rapid and effective change created by the COVID-19 pandemic in all medical practice, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the first 100 days of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations performed in a reference university hospital in the field of orthopedics and traumatology. Compare the results with the same period of the previous year and aim to evaluate importance of restrictions.

METHODS

The operations performed in orthopedics and traumatology clinic between March 18, 2020 (the day we stopped the elective surgeries), and July 1, 2020 (when the normalization process began), were collected from the electronic archive to compare with the same period of 2019.

RESULTS

Comparing the same periods of the year, it was seen that 102 surgeries were performed in the 2020 COVID-19 period compared to 380 operations performed in 2019. Although most of the operations performed during the COVID-19 period were traumas, the comparison revealed that trauma cases decreased by 25% from 73 to 58 (p<0.001). Among trauma patients operated in the restraint period, decrease in the pediatric group and the increase in patients over 65 years of age had seen statistically significant. Compared to the same period of the previous year, 50% increase seen in amputation cases related to diabetic foot (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The postponement of elective cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic enabled us to manage trauma cases despite decreasing capacity utilization. In addition, it was observed that the transition of schools to online education and the implementation of curfews significantly reduced the number of trauma in the pediatric group. Separation of operating rooms and wards had a huge effect on protection of non-COVID patients. We hope that, in light of this study, we can guide health policies and help other colleagues to manage the possible new waves of the pandemic process or similar processes that may occur in the future.

Has the time to reinstate elective orthopedic procedures come?

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus pandemic changed how we manage and operate patients in orthopaedic practice. Although elective orthopaedic procedures were halted to prevent spread of the disease as well as sustain supplies of essential protective equipment and healthcare workers, trauma services were continued. We studied the orthopaedic trauma cases operated over 6 months of the pandemic, and discuss the protocols used to minimize disease spread.

METHODS

Data was collected for all orthopaedic emergency cases operated at our centre from 1 st March - 10 th August 2020. During this time specific protocols were used for first aid, pre-operative care, inside the operation theatre, post-operative stay as well as for follow ups.

RESULTS

A total of 851 patients were operated. A sharp decline in surgeries was seen during the lockdown. Average stay in the hospital was 4 days. Only 44% of the patients came for follow-up visits. None of the contacted patients or their relatives developed symptoms or tested positive for COVID after discharge.

CONCLUSION

Multiple waves and various mutant strains of COVID-19 have made this pandemic longer than expected. Elective orthopaedic cases cannot be ignored for forever, as it leads to poor quality of life and an increasing burden of such patients. We suggest, that using the protocols used at our centre, we have successfully operated on cases without risking spread of the virus. Thus, we believe it's time to reinstate elective orthopaedic procedures, in a phased manner.

Mortality escalates in patients of proximal femoral fractures with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 studies on 4255 patients

BACKGROUND

Concerns have been raised about the escalated mortality in patients of proximal femoral fractures (PPFs) with COVID-19. A meta-analysis to evaluate the mortality in patients with PPFs managed during the current COVID-19 pandemic was conducted.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of all published studies were conducted with a search on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases using appropriate keywords from January 01, 2020 to January 29, 2021.

RESULTS

35 relevant studies reporting 4255 patients with hip fracture in the current ongoing pandemic, out of which 692 patients were COVID-19 positive. Twenty studies reported mortality and other relevant statistics on hip fracture patients with and without COVID-19 (4123 hip fracture patients in the year 2020-21, out of which 560 had or were suspected of having COVID -19). A meta-analysis of mortality statistics in patients with and without COVID revealed increased odds of mortality among COVID patients [odds ratio (OR) 6.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) [5.09, 7.83] and meta-analysis on the subgroup of surgically treated patients also showed markedly increased mortality risk among those with COVID-19 (OR) 5.99, 95% CI [3.88,9.24].

CONCLUSION

The mortality risk is markedly increased in hip fracture with concomitant COVID-19 as compared to those without it. This increased risk persisted in those managed surgically. It could be due to the inflammation induced by the fracture or surgery for fracture fixation, further exacerbating inflammation, leading to cytokine storm. It is imperative that such patients are informed regarding increased mortality risk during the consent and shared decision-making process.

A tale of three pandemics: Shining a light on a hidden problem

An “epidemic” is an event in which a disease, infectious or non-infectious, is actively spreading within a population and designated area. The term “pandemic” is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”.

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has not been seen since the outbreak of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the early eighties. But there is another unseen pandemic running alongside the current COVID-19 pandemic, which affects a vast number of people, crossing international boundaries and occurring in every single country worldwide. The pandemic of traumatic injuries.

Traumatic injuries account for 11% of the current Global Burden of Disease, resulting in nearly 5 million deaths annually and is the third-leading cause of death worldwide. For every trauma-related death, it is estimated that up to 50 people sustain permanent or temporary disabilities. Furthermore, traumatic injuries occur at disproportionately higher rates in low- and middle-income countries, with approximately 90% of injuries and more than 90% of global deaths from injury occurring these countries.

Injuries are increasing worldwide, crossing international boundaries and affecting a large number of people, in the same manner Human Immunodeficiency Virus did in the 1980's and COVID-19 is today. The tremendous global effort to tackle the COVID-19 and Human Immunodeficiency Virus pandemics has occurred whilst ignoring the comparable pandemic of injury. Without change and future engagement with policy makers and international donors this disparity is likely to continue.

Pain and function deteriorate in patients awaiting total joint arthroplasty that has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures have been postponed as part of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response to avert healthcare system collapse. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures comprise the highest volume of elective procedures performed at health care facilities worldwide.

AIM

To determine the demand for TJA despite the pandemic and the impact of surgery postponement on physical and mental health.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective cross-sectional telephonic interview-based study on patients awaiting THA and TKA at an academic institution in South Africa. The questionnaire consisted of four sections. The first section recorded baseline demographic data and medical co-morbidities, the length of time spent awaiting TJA, and the patients’ desire to undergo elective surgery despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Section 2 and Section 3 assessed the patients’ current physical and mental health, respectively, as a consequence of deferred surgical intervention. The last section established the patients’ perception of the healthcare system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and necessity to postpone elective surgery. Patients received counseling and education on the current state of surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated risks. Thereafter, patients were once again asked about their desire to undergo TJA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

We included 185 patients (65.95% female; mean age: 50.28 years) awaiting TJA for a mean of 26.42 ± 30.1 mo. Overall, 88.65% of patients wanted TJA despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients awaiting TJA for 1-3 years were 3.3-fold more likely to want surgery than those waiting < 1 year (P < 0.000). Patients with comorbidities were 8.4-fold less likely to want TJA than those with no comorbidities (P = 0.013). After receiving education, the patients wanting TJA decreased to 54.05%. Patients who changed their opinion after education had less insight on the increased morbidity (P = 0.046) and mortality (P = 0.001) associated with COVID-19. Despite awaiting TJA for shorter period (24.7 ± 20.38 mo), patients who continued to demand TJA had greater pain (P < 0.000) and decreased function (P = 0.043) since TJA postponement.

CONCLUSION

There is deterioration in health for patients, who have had elective procedures postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Waiting lists should be prioritized for urgency with the re-initiation of elective surgery.

Orthopaedic trauma care: initial global approaches to management during a pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly affected the treatment of patients with surgical conditions, including those with acute and chronic musculoskeletal issues. While different global regions experienced different levels of COVID-19 activity and had different resources with which to deal with the pandemic, there were many consistent approaches to injury care and musculoskeletal trauma management. Understanding these approaches is necessary to improve current and future strategies to taking care of orthopaedic trauma patients in an infectious disease outbreak. This supplement focuses on approaches to musculoskeletal trauma care during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 19 countries from 6 continents. This work represents a collaborative work of member societies of the International Orthopaedic Trauma Association (IOTA), an international association of orthopaedic societies dedicated to the promotion of musculoskeletal trauma care through advancements in patient care, research, and education. The information in these reports will aid efforts to understand and ultimately better address musculoskeletal trauma care worldwide during the first waves of the pandemic.

Orthopaedic operating room considerations in covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Purpose

Worldwide COVID 19 has affected the medical practices and Orthopaedics is not any different. Despite risk, the surgeons cannot deny the surgical procedure on patients with suspected or confirmed COVID 19 infection. The purpose of this manuscript is to review various operating room measures which are recommended and being followed to carry out orthopaedic surgeries in the current scenario of COVID 19 pandemic. The information would be useful for orthopaedic surgeons to carry out safe surgical practice for reducing the transmission of COVID 19 infection.

Method

ology: A systematic literature search was performed using search engines- PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus from January to August 2020 for relevant research articles. The keywords utilized for systematic literature search were "COVID 19", "Corona virus" and "Operating room", "Orthopaedic procedure" in 4 combinations. Duplicates were excluded. Further sorting was done according to the pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Original articles pertaining to orthopaedic surgery and operating room in COVID 19 and available in English language were included. Editorials, case reports, other speciality articles were excluded.

Results

16 articles were finally included in review after screening for titles, abstracts and full texts. The information obtained is presented as a narrative review.

Conclusion

Various important recommendations include use of negative pressure OR, HEPA filters, dedicated separate OR for COVID positive and suspected patients with well defined separate corridors for transport, avoid AGP wherever possible, minimize the number of assistants and staff and follow strict sanitation protocols after each surgery. A well planned systematic approach is warranted to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID 19 while carrying out orthopaedic surgeries.

Spine surgeon perceptions of the challenges and benefits of telemedicine: an international study

Introduction

While telemedicine usage has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains little consensus about how spine surgeons perceive virtual care. The purpose of this study was to explore international perspectives of spine providers on the challenges and benefits of telemedicine.

Methods

Responses from 485 members of AO Spine were analyzed, covering provider perceptions of the challenges and benefits of telemedicine. All questions were optional, and blank responses were excluded from analysis.

Results

The leading challenges reported by surgeons were decreased ability to perform physical examinations (38.6%), possible increased medicolegal exposure (19.3%), and lack of reimbursement parity compared to traditional visits (15.5%). Fewer than 9.0% of respondents experienced technological issues. On average, respondents agreed that telemedicine increases access to care for rural/long-distance patients, provides societal cost savings, and increases patient convenience. Responses were mixed about whether telemedicine leads to greater patient satisfaction. North Americans experienced the most challenges, but also thought telemedicine carried the most benefits, whereas Africans reported the fewest challenges and benefits. Age did not affect responses.

Conclusion

Spine surgeons are supportive of the benefits of telemedicine, and only a small minority experienced technical issues. The decreased ability to perform the physical examination was the top challenge and remains a major obstacle to virtual care for spine surgeons around the world, although interestingly, 61.4% of providers did not acknowledge this to be a major challenge. Significant groundwork in optimizing remote physical examination maneuvers and achieving legal and reimbursement clarity is necessary for widespread implementation.

How fast is the peer-review process for orthopaedic publications related to the Covid-19 pandemic?

PURPOSE

This study's primary objective is to evaluate the time spent in the peer-review process for orthopaedic publications related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The secondary objective is to evaluate the countries' and journals' contributions in these publications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We carried a search on August 1st, 2020, in one database (PubMed) using limited search terms to identify the orthopaedic publications related to the Covid-19 pandemic. After a filtration process, we evaluated the eligible article to identify the prevalence of different articles types, different countries, and journal contributions in these publications. The evaluation of the time spent in the peer-review process was done by obtaining the submission and acceptance dates.

RESULTS

Of the 231 articles eligible for initial assessment, review articles were the most common article type published (51%), 48 countries published articles in a unique 78 journals. Evaluation of the peer-review process in 147 articles revealed that the mean time from submission to acceptance was 14.3 ± 15.8 days (range from 0 to 74), the peer-review process took less than 30 days in 127 (86.4%) articles, 15 (10.2%) articles were accepted within the first day of submission.

CONCLUSION

Orthopaedic community contributed significantly to the publications related to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a contribution from many countries and journals. The peer-review process was notably shortened for some articles.

Emergency orthopaedic surgery in the pandemic era: A case series at Cipto Mangunkusumo national tertiary hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

Every emergency surgery performed is aimed at saving lives; however, during COVID-19 pandemic, surgeries are often postponed. Many existing recommendations take into account postponing surgery during a pandemic. How these surgeries can lead to increasing infection rates has not been widely published. This study aims to investigate the relationship of emergency orthopaedic surgery and the incidence rate of COVID-19.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

This was a case series of 14 patients. The study was performed at the emergency department unit at a national tertiary hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. A total of 14 patients underwent orthopaedic surgery in the emergency room of our institution. The mean age of the subjects was 40.07 ± 20.5 years. Twelve (85.7%) were male patients and 2 (14.3%) were female patients. The average duration of surgery was 125 minutes. The most used type of anaesthesia was general anaesthesia for 6 operations (50%). Patients were hospitalized for an average length of 4 days. Three patients had infiltrates found on plain x-ray examination, which required further examination to determine whether the cause was COVID-19 infection or not. There was no ground glass appearance (GGO) in the three patients in further follow-up examination.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that emergency orthopaedic surgery was not associated with increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Factors including duration of surgery, length of stay, types of anaesthesia and comorbidities were also not associated with COVID-19 cases in this study.

Adapting Policy Guidelines for Spine Surgeries During COVID-19 Pandemic in View of Evolving Evidences: An Early Experience From a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Introduction The recent novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. This outbreak not only affected healthcare systems but the resultant economic losses were also enormous. COVID-19 has demanded that the health care systems globally evolve, develop new strategies, identify new models of functioning, and at times, fall back on the old conservative methods of orthopedic care to decrease the risk of disease transmission. Although, the majority of hospitals are refraining from performing elective surgeries, emergent and urgent procedures cannot be delayed. Various strategies have been developed at the institute level to reduce the risk of infection transmission among the theatre team from an unsuspected patient (asymptomatic and presymptomatic) during the perioperative period. Material and methods The present study is a part of an ongoing project which is being conducted in a tertiary level hospital after obtaining research review board approval. All patients admitted either for vertebral fracture or spinal cord compression from February 2020 to May 2020 were included. The present study included 13 patients (nine males and four females) with an average age of 35.4 years The oldest patient was of 63 years which is considered a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 infection.  Results Eight patients (61.5%) presented with spinal cord injury (SCI) due to vertebral fracture with fall from height (87.5%) as the most common etiology. Among the traumatic SCI patients, six (75%) were managed surgically with posterior decompression and instrumented fusion with pedicle screws while two patients (25%) were managed conservatively. There were four patients (30.8%) of tuberculosis of the spine of whom two (50%) were managed with posterior decompression, debridement, and stabilization with pedicle screws, samples for culture, biopsy, and cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) were collected during the procedure; for the remaining two patients (50%), a trans-pedicular biopsy was performed to confirm the diagnosis for initiation of anti-tubercular therapy. Prolapsed intervertebral disc causing cauda equina syndrome was the reason for emergency surgery in one patient (7.7%). COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was performed in four patients (30.8%), in whom the most common symptom was fever (two patients (50%)). These patients were residents of high prevalence area for COVID-19 infection. Sore throat (25%), fatigue (25%), and low oxygen saturation (25%) were present in one patient which prompted us to get the COVID-19 test. All patients were reported negative for COVID-19. Conclusion The structural organization and the management protocol we describe allowed us to reduce infection risk and ultimately hospital stay, thereby maximizing the already stretched available medical resources. These precautions helped us to reduce transmission and exposure to COVID-19 in health care workers (HCW) and patients in our institute. The aim of this article is that our early experience can be of value to the medical communities that will soon be in a similar situation.