Observational studyBMJ open2022
Impact of COVID-19 on acute trauma and orthopaedic referrals and surgery in the UK during the first wave of the pandemic: a multicentre observational study from the COVid Emergency-Related Trauma and orthopaedics (COVERT) Collaborative.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Why do orthopaedic surgeons get sued? An analysis of £2.2 billion in claims against NHS England: trends in litigation and strategies to enhance care.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025Article
- Locked down: Orthopaedic surgery in a regional health service during the COVID-19 pandemic.ANZ journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Multidisciplinary management of orthopaedic trauma - are we adhering to the guidelines?Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2025Article
- Pyeloplasty and Ureteral Reconstruction Surgery Trends: A Total Population Analysis in Germany from 2006 to 2022.European urology open science · 2024Article
- Showcasing the Saudi e-referral system experience: the epidemiology and pattern of referrals utilising nationwide secondary data.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of Paediatric Trauma During National Lockdown: A Retrospective Study With 12 Months of Follow-Up.Cureus · 2023Article
- Article
- Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Humeral Shaft Fracture Management and Its Outcomes.Cureus · 2023Article
- Surgical treatment for fragility hip fractures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lower short-term postoperative functional outcome and a higher complication rate compared to the pre-pandemic period.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2022Article
- COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Orthopaedic Trauma Practice: A Global Perspective.Orthopedic research and reviews · 2022Review
- CORR Insights®: How Did the Number and Type of Injuries in Patients Presenting to a Regional Level I Trauma Center Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic with a Stay-at-home Order?Clinical orthopaedics and related research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis is the first British multicentre study observing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthopaedic trauma with respect to referrals, operative caseload and mortality during its peak.
designA longitudinal, multicentre, retrospective, observational, cohort study was conducted during the peak 6 weeks of the first wave from 17 March 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
settingHospitals from six major urban cities were recruited around the UK, including London.
participantsA total of 4840 clinical encounters were initially recorded. 4668 clinical encounters were analysed post-exclusion. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included the number of acute trauma referrals and those undergoing operative intervention, mortality rates and the proportion of patients contracting COVID-19. Secondary outcomes consisted of the mechanism of injury, type of operative intervention and proportion of aerosolising-generating anaesthesia used.
resultsDuring the COVID-19 period, there was a 34% reduction in acute orthopaedic trauma referrals compared with 2019 (1792 down to 1183 referrals), and a 29.5% reduction in surgical interventions (993 down to 700 operations). The mortality rate was more than doubled for both risk and odds ratios during the COVID-19 period for all referrals (1.3% vs 3.8%, p=0.0005) and for those undergoing operative intervention (2.2% vs 4.9%, p=0.004). Moreover, mortality due to COVID-19-related complications (vs non-COVID-19 causes) had greater odds by a factor of at least 20 times. For the operative cohort during COVID-19, there was an increase in odds of aerosolising-generating anaesthesia (including those with superimposed regional blocks) by three-quarters, as well as doubled odds of a consultant acting as the primary surgeon.
conclusionAlthough there was a reduction of acute trauma referrals and those undergoing operative intervention, the mortality rate still more than doubled in odds during the peak of the pandemic compared with the same time interval 1 year ago.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.