The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on traumatic brain injuries in Tyrol: experiences from a state under lockdown

PURPOSE: In February 2020, the federal state of Tyrol in Austria has become one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tyrol is known for numerous skiing areas. Thus, winter sport resorts became a starting point for COVID-19 infections spreading towards the rest of the state, Austria and other countries, leading to a mandatory quarantine for almost a million people, who were placed under a curfew and restrictions in daily life. Additionally, all ski resorts and hotels were closed. We aimed to analyze the influence of the COVID-19 quarantine on traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases in Tyrol. METHODS: We retrospectively compared demographical and injury characteristics from all TBI patients within the 2020 strict quarantine period with the respective time periods from 2016 to 2019. As our department is the only neurosurgical unit in Tyrol, all patients with moderate or severe TBI are transferred to our hospital. RESULTS: During 3 weeks of the full quarantine period, the weekly TBI cases load decreased significantly in comparison to the same time periods in the years 2016–2019. Furthermore, concomitant skull fractures decreased significantly (p < 0.016), probably reflecting different causative mechanisms. The other demographical and injury characteristics and particularly falls at home stayed relatively unchanged. CONCLUSION: TBI remained an important contributor to the neurosurgical workflow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies to ensure neurosurgical care also under pandemic-induced lockdown are important.