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

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.