Hand Trauma Aetiology and Anaesthesia during the first UK lockdown: “Lessons for Future Lockdowns”.
Aims
The hand unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, UK is a tertiary referral centre serving a population of 4.6 million across the South East of England. On 26th March 2020 until 10th May 2020 the UK was placed in an unprecedented national lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with advice to all citizens to avoid non-essential travel and work from home wherever possible. This study aims to understand the effects of lockdown on hand trauma aetiology and anaesthetic choices for emergency hand surgery.
Methods
Retrospective data collection using review of clinical notes for all patients who underwent surgery of any kind for hand trauma in April 2020, matched with the same period in April 2019. FisherÂ’s Exact Test was applied to assess for difference in method of anaesthesia, injury location (workplace vs home) and DIY versus non-DIY aetiology.
Results
165 patients had surgery in the 2020 cohort versus 239 in 2019 (31% decrease). The mean age was 45 during lockdown vs. 49 in 2019. There was significant reduction in the proportion of workplace injuries in 2020 (22.3% vs 44.1%, p
Key words: Hand Trauma, Aetiology, Lockdown, WALANT
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