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. 2025 Feb 3;33(1):e276452.
doi: 10.1590/1413-785220253301e276452. eCollection 2025.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HAND AND WRIST ORTHOPEDIC SURGERIES IN A PRIVATE SERVICE

Erick Yoshio Wataya  1 , Katherine Vanessa Tenezaca Rodriguez  1 , Lucas Sousa Macedo  1 , Ricardo Boso Escudero  1 , Luiz Sorrenti  1 , Bernardo Figueira Althoff  1 , Ana Katherina Abarca Herrera  1 , Maurício Pinto Rodrigues  1 , Antonio Carlos da Costa  1 , Mateus Saito  1 , João Carlos Nakamoto  1
Affiliations

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HAND AND WRIST ORTHOPEDIC SURGERIES IN A PRIVATE SERVICE

Erick Yoshio Wataya et al. Acta Ortop Bras. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Objective: Evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on elective and emergency hand and wrist surgeries operated in a private orthopedic center.

Methods: A retrospective study included hand and wrist surgeries in a private orthopedic center. The total surgeries were computed and separated into elective or emergency surgeries. The numbers were analyzed by month, quarter, and year before and after the pandemic (March 2020).

Results: Eight hundred and forty-three surgeries from March 2018 to February 2022 were included. The mean monthly cases of the initial 12 months of the pandemic (15.3) were statistically equal to previous periods (17.3 and 17.2), but the period from March 2021 to February 2022 showed an increase (20.5; p = 0.037). The first four months of the pandemic had a mean (8.3) lower than the previous period (14.0; p = 0.002), but soon there was a significant increase in the following four months (19.3; p = 0.002). As a historical standard, elective surgeries were greater than an emergency in this institution. Still, in the first two quarters of the pandemic, there was a reduction in elective cases, equaling the emergency.

Conclusion: An important but relatively brief impact on surgical volume was observed in hand and wrist surgeries during COVID-19. A significant reduction in elective cases happened at the pandemic's beginning followed by a fast recovery after four months. Nível de Evidência II; Estudo Retrospectivo.

Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto da COVID-19 em cirurgias eletivas e emergenciais de mão e punho realizadas em um centro ortopédico privado.

Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo que incluiu cirurgias de mão e punho em um centro ortopédico privado. Todas as cirurgias foram computadas e classificadas como eletivas ou de emergência. Os números foram analisados por mês, trimestre e ano antes e depois da pandemia (março de 2020).

Resultados: Foram incluídas 843 cirurgias de março de 2018 a fevereiro de 2022. A média de casos mensais dos 12 meses iniciais da pandemia (15,3) foi estatisticamente igual aos períodos anteriores (17,3 e 17,2), mas o período de março de 2021 a fevereiro de 2022 apresentou um aumento (20,5; p = 0,037). Os primeiros quatro meses da pandemia tiveram uma média (8,3) menor do que o período anterior (14,0; p = 0,002), entretanto, logo houve um aumento significativo nos quatro meses seguintes (19,3; p = 0,002). Como um padrão histórico, as cirurgias eletivas foram maiores do que as emergenciais nessa instituição. Ainda assim, nos dois primeiros trimestres da pandemia, houve uma redução nos casos eletivos, igualando-se à emergência.

Conclusão: Um impacto importante, mas relativamente curto, no volume cirúrgico foi observado nas cirurgias de mão e punho durante a COVID-19. Uma redução significativa nos casos eletivos ocorreu no início da pandemia, seguida de uma rápida recuperação após quatro meses. Nível de Evidência II; Estudo Retrospectivo.

Keywords: COVID-19; Elective Surgical Procedures; Emergency Treatment; Hand Injuries; Wrist Injuries.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no potential conflict of interest related to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Total number of surgeries performed in different quarters two years before and two years after the onset of COVID-19. The bars represent the number of surgeries, and the dotted line represents the 3-month moving mean.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Number of surgeries performed in different quarters two years before and two years after the onset of COVID-19 divided into elective surgeries (dark bars) and emergency surgeries (light bars).
Figure 3
Figure 3. COVID-19 timeline in the state where work was performed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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