Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep;44(9):1621-1627.
doi: 10.1007/s00264-020-04740-5. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on trauma bay management and guideline adherence in a European level-one-trauma centre

Affiliations

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on trauma bay management and guideline adherence in a European level-one-trauma centre

Sascha Halvachizadeh et al. Int Orthop. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) represents a pandemic that has led to adjustments of routine clinical practices. The initial management in the trauma bay follows detailed international valid algorithms. This study aims to work out potential adjustments of trauma bay algorithms during a global pandemic in order to reduce contamination and to increase safety for patients and medical personnel.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared patients admitted to the trauma bay of one academic level-one trauma centre in March and April 2019 with patients admitted in March and April 2020. Based on these datasets, possible adjustments of the current international guidelines of trauma bay management were discussed.

Results: Group Pan (2020, n = 30) included two-thirds the number of patients compared with Group Ref (2019, n = 44). The number of severely injured patients comparable amongst these groups: mean injury severity score (ISS) was significantly lower in Group Pan (10.5 ± 4.4 points) compared with Group Ref (15.3 ± 9.2 points, p = 0.035). Duration from admission to whole-body CT was significantly higher in Group Pan (23.8 ± 9.4 min) compared with Group Ref (17.3 ± 10.7 min, p = 0.046). Number of trauma bay admissions decreased, as did the injury severity for patients admitted in March and April 2020. In order to contain spreading of SARS Cov-2, the suggested recommendations of adjusting trauma bay protocols for severely injured patients include (1) minimizing trauma bay team members with direct contact to the patient; (2) reducing repeated examination as much as possible, with rationalized use of protective equipment; and (3) preventing potential secondary inflammatory insults.

Conclusion: Appropriate adjustments of trauma bay protocols during pandemics should improve safety for both patients and medical personnel while guaranteeing the optimal treatment quality. The above-mentioned proposals have the potential to improve safety during trauma bay management in a time of a global pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Polytrauma management; SARS CoV-2; Severe trauma; Trauma bay management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The whole treatment team could be grouped in two teams: hands-on and hands-off teams. The hands-on team has a direct contact with the patient and performs clinical examination and emergency interventions. The hands-off team avoids the direct contact with the patient and contaminated materials

References

    1. WHO (2016) The top 10 causes of death. In: Organization WH (ed)
    1. von Ruden C, Buhren V, Perl M. Polytrauma management - treatment of severely injured patients in ER and OR. Z Orthop Unfallchir. 2017;155:603–622. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-124275. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Vugt R, Kool DR, Lubeek SFK, Dekker HM, Brink M, Deunk J, Edwards MJR. An evidence based blunt trauma protocol. Emerg Med J. 2013;30:6. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2011-200802. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rossaint R, Bouillon B, Cerny V, Coats TJ, Duranteau J, Fernandez-Mondejar E, Filipescu D, Hunt BJ, Komadina R, Nardi G, Neugebauer EAM, Ozier Y, Riddez L, Schultz A, Vincent JL, Spahn DR. The European guideline on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma: fourth edition. Crit Care. 2016;20:55. doi: 10.1186/s13054-016-1265-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bouillon B, Probst C, Maegele M, Wafaisade A, Helm P, Mutschler M, Brockamp T, Shafizadeh S, Paffrath T. Emergency room management of multiple trauma : ATLS(R) and S3 guidelines. Chirurg. 2013;84:745–752. doi: 10.1007/s00104-013-2476-1. - DOI - PubMed