Changes in organization of activity of hand surgery department during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many medical specialties throughout the world, including hand surgery. Emergency hand surgery deals with a wide spectrum of injuries, including bone fractures, nerve, tendon and vessel cuts, complex injuries and amputations. These traumas occur independently to the phase of the pandemic. The objective of this study was presentation of changes in organization of activity of hand surgery department during the COVID-19 pandemic. Modifications of the activity were described in details. Over a period of the pandemic (from April 2020 to March 2022), a total of 4150 patients were treated, in this number 2327 (56%) with acute injuries and 1823 (44%) with common hand diseases. Forty-one (1%) patients were diagnosed COVID-19 positive, 19 (46%) with hand injuries and 32 (54%) with hand disorders. One case of work-related COVID-19 infection was registered in the 6-people clinic team in analysed period. Results of this study show effectiveness of measures undertaken in the authors institution to prevent the coronavirus infection and viral transmission in hand surgery staff.