Knee Surgery during the COVID-19 Lockdown—Experiences of a Level-One Trauma Center in Germany

BACKGROUND: Almost every sector in the health care is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many studies already investigated the effect on different aspects in orthopedic and trauma care. However, the current literature lacks data regarding the consequence on daily surgical business. Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze the development of knee-related pathologies and surgical procedures in a German university level-one trauma center during the lockdown phase and early lockdown phase to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on orthopedic and trauma knee surgery. Material and Methods. The amount of knee joint surgeries performed during the high-peak COVID-19 crisis in the period of January to May 2020 was evaluated retrospectively and compared to the corresponding time periods of the previous years (2017-2019). RESULTS: The COVID-19 lockdown led to a significant decrease in the number of knee injuries in March and April 2020 by 83.3%. Surgical procedures were reduced by 84.8% during the same period. In May 2020, the number of knee joint procedures returned to an almost prepandemic level. The distribution of urgent and elective knee surgery changed to predominantly acute trauma care at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown and persisted through to May 2020. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a high impact on emergency and elective knee surgery in a level-one trauma center in Germany during the lockdown phase. It also showed that a level-one trauma center in the German healthcare system is able to handle urgent trauma and orthopedic operations during a worldwide medical crisis and to return to a prepandemic level within a short phase.