EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC FRACTURES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Meneses Gutiérrez, A; Lanuza Lagunilla, L; Suárez-Anta Rodríguez, P J; Camblor Valladares, Á; García Arias, A; Cabria Fernández, J; García Cuello, L; Mateo Negreira, J

INTRODUCTION: In Spain, the state of alarm, decreed by the COVID-19 pandemic, forced a home confinement that included the suspension of school activity. Our purpose is to examine how it affected the epidemiology of pediatric fractures in a tertiary hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study comparing the epidemiology and management of pediatric fractures in our centre during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the previous year. The "pandemic" cohort includes patients seen during this state of alarm (03/14/2020 to 06/21/20); and the "pre-pandemic" cohort the same period of 2019. RESULTS: Between both periods, 233 pediatric patients were treated for 258 fractures. There were no significant changes in their age or sex. The incidence of fractures was decreased by 66%. Despite this decrease, the percentage of fractures that required surgical intervention doubled. The time until the evaluation in the emergency room was also modified, with a higher proportion of patients seen more than 24 hours after the trauma. Regarding the anatomical locations, a reduction in bicortical fractures stands out, in contrast to greenstick fractures and epiphysiolysis. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the epidemiology of pediatric fractures. There was a reduction in the incidence of fractures and a delay in hospital care, probably due to fear of going to the hospital due to the risk of contagion. Home confinement may justify the lower proportion of high-energy distal radius fractures, such as bicortical fractures.