P0211 / #1948: EFFECT OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN ON DENSITY OF TRAUMA PATIENTS IN TERTIARY PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Abstract

Aims & Objectives: It was aimed to investigate whether COVID-19 lockdown has an effect on the density of patients treated for trauma in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods: Patients admitted to PICU because of trauma between March-July 2020 and March-July 2019 were included in the study. Two consecutive years were compared in terms of density of trauma patients. Results: In 2019, 318 patients were admitted to PICU and there were19 trauma patients (6%) among them (7 falls from height, 9 traffic accidents, 1 gunshot wound and 2 burn patients). In 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown 205 patients admitted to PICU and 46 (22.4%) of them were trauma patients (23 falls from height, 17 traffic accidents, 2 gunshot wounds, 3 burn patients and 1 dog attack). The difference is statistically significant (χ2(1) = 31.044, p <0.001). Other demographic features were found to be similar between the two groups. It was found that while number of patients admitted to PICU were decreasing during COVID-19 lockdown period, number and density of trauma patients has been increased. After WHO defined COVID-19 as a pandemic; many countries take measures like lockdown to control spread of new cases. After lockdown and interruption of education in schools children have been started to spend time mostly in house. Conclusions: Although COVID-19 infection mildly affects children and few child mortalities has been reported we noticed and confirmed that number of patients with trauma requiring PICU admission especially as a home accident increased during COVID-19 lockdown.