A Safety Evaluation of the Resumption of Elective Orthopaedic Services in Higher Risk Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mass disruption to all aspects of society, with elective orthopaedics not spared. The pandemic has the potential to cause a tsunami of health burden in the community if elective services are not resumed to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Studies have shown that elective orthopaedics can be safely carried out in a COVID-19 free hospital. This study reviewed the transition in operating at an independent COVID-19 free hospital to an NHS hospital concurrently treating patients with COVID-19. Methods A strategy of phased relaxation of clinical comorbidity criteria was followed. Patients from the orthopaedic waiting list were selected according to these criteria and observed recommended preoperative isolation protocols. Operations were undertaken in the independent sector under the COVID-19 contract and the NHS site. Patients were assessed from all phases in the resumption of services. In-hospital and post-operative complications with specific enquiries regarding the development of COVID-19 symptoms or the need and outcome for COVID-19 testing at 14 days and six weeks was recorded. Results This study included 263 patients, of which 155 were female. The mean age of patients was 52.45. The mean BMI of all patients was 29.1 kg/m2. Additionally, 124 patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade 1, 117 ASA grade 2 and 22 ASA grade 3 and 167 patients underwent a major operation, with total hip replacement being the most common operation. There were no in-hospital complications. No patients had a positive test result or symptoms of COVID-19 in the six-week post-operative period. Conclusion In summary, we demonstrated that elective orthopaedic surgery can be safely undertaken via a green pathway in a higher risk patient cohort when COVID-19 is prevalent in the community.