Epidemiologic characteristics and pre-hospital care of traumatic injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic in an emerging and developing country

October 21, 2021

Soni A, Garg SK, Gupta R, Gupta P, Kansay R, Singhal A.

Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma

This prospective observational study looks at pre-hospital orthopedic trauma care in a tertiary care set up in northern India during Covid-19. Of the 1044 patients included in the study with orthopedic trauma, 71.64% were from nearby states, while 38.4% were referred cases. 125 patients were received without splintage/traction, 112 without any intravenous fluids, 92 without any analgesics, 84 without any previous mention of vitals being recorded, 130 without any wound dressing for open wounds, and 202 without any dose of intravenous antibiotics for open wounds. This showed that pre-hospital emergency services need to be upgraded in order to reduce the burden on tertiary care services during the pandemic. Furthermore, delaying antibiotics can result in infection, therefore putting an additional burden on hospitals.

Soni A, Garg SK, Gupta R, Gupta P, Kansay R, Singhal A. Epidemiologic characteristics and pre-hospital care of traumatic injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic in an emerging and developing country. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma 2021; 23: 101654.

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