The impact of COVID-19 on mortality in trauma patients undergoing orthopedic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of medicine, including orthopedic trauma surgery. This study aims to investigate whether COVID-19 patients who underwent orthopedic surgery trauma had a higher risk of postoperative mortality. METHODS: ScienceDirect, the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, and MEDLINE were searched for original publications. This study adhered to the PPRISMA 2020 statement. The validity of the studies was evaluated using a checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Study and participant characteristics, as well as the odds ratio, were extracted from selected publications. Data were analyzed using RevMan ver. 5.4.1. RESULTS: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 articles among 717 total were deemed eligible for analysis. Lower-extremity injuries were the most common condition, and pelvic surgery was the most frequently performed intervention. There were 456 COVID-19 patients (6.12%) and 134 deaths among COVID-19 patients, revealing an increase in mortality (29.38% vs. 5.30%; odds ratio, 7.72; 95% confidence interval, 6.01–9.93; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Among COVID-19 patients who received orthopedic surgery due to trauma, the postoperative death rate increased by 7.72 times.