Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39499116›Full record

ArticlePediatric emergency care2025

The Impact of COVID-19 on Patterns of Fractures Presenting to Pediatric Emergency Departments.

Stephanie M Ruest, Holly R Hanson, Andrew Kiragu, Lois K Lee, Mark R Zonfrillo, Wendy J Pomerantz

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric emergency care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Stephanie M RuestFrom the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and the Rhode Island Injury Prevention Center, Providence, RI.
Holly R HansonDivision of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH.
Andrew KiraguChildren's Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Lois K LeeDivision of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.
Mark R ZonfrilloFrom the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and the Rhode Island Injury Prevention Center, Providence, RI.
Wendy J PomerantzDivision of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH.

Funding

The development of a family navigator intervention and prevention protocol to reduce risk of suicide and self-injurious behavior for youth aged 10 to 14 years.P20GM139664 · NIGMS · RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL · PI Michael J Mello · 2022 to 2026
$13.3M
NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM139664
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo examine differences in pediatric fracture prevalence, severity, and mechanisms of injury before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsThis is a subanalysis of data from a multicenter, cross-sectional study of all injury-related visits to 40 urban pediatric emergency departments (EDs) for children younger than 18 years occurring January 2019-December 2020. ED visits for injuries including fractures were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. Comparative analyses of patient demographics, fracture prevalence, severity, and mechanisms of injury for March 17, 2019, to December 31, 2019 (pre-COVID), versus March 15, 2020, to December 31, 2020 (during COVID), were performed.

resultsFracture-related visits comprised 21.0% (n = 123,684) of all injury visits (n = 589,083) during the study period. There were 16,190 fewer fracture-related visits (-23.2%) in 2020 than 2019. There were differences in the proportion of fracture-related visits by age ( P < 0.0001), with increases in children younger than 5 years and decreases in children 5 to 18 years old. There were higher proportions of visits in 2020 among female patients, White children, non-Hispanic children, and those with private insurance ( P < 0.0001, respectively). Patients with fractures in 2020 were more severely injured, with higher proportions of hospitalizations ( P < 0.0001), intensive care unit admissions ( P < 0.0001), deaths ( P = 0.007), and higher injury severity scores ( P < 0.0001). Fracture mechanisms shifted to more motor vehicle crashes, bicycles, and firearms in 2020 ( P < 0.0001).

conclusionsDespite a decrease in fracture-related visits to urban pediatric EDs during the early COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the proportion of ED visits for children younger than 5 years and higher severity injuries. These findings highlight injury epidemiology pattern shifts that occurred during the pandemic. Identifying higher-risk populations for fracture may help guide targeted education and prevention efforts.

Indexed as

COVID-19Emergency Service, HospitalFractures, BoneAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInfantMalePrevalenceSARS-CoV-2United States

Identifiers

PMID39499116
PMCPMC11693463

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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.