Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on trauma team activations in a single major Lithuanian trauma center: A retrospective single-center study

BACKGROUND: As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and national quarantine, different levels of social and movement restrictions, and stay-at-home requests, trauma trends have changed. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of lockdown on patients treated by the trauma team (TT) at a single major Lithuanian trauma center during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is a retrospective, descriptive study of adult (≥18 years old) trauma patients (for whom the TT was activated). Consequently, we analyzed the national lockdown periods from 16 March to 15 May 2020 and from 16 December 2020 to 28 February 2021, compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. RESULTS: There was a 10% reduction in TT activations during the national lockdown period. No significant differences were noted in patient demographics. In the COVID-19 cohort, patients had higher Injury Severity Score (14 [IQR 6−21] vs. 9 [IQR 3−18], P = 0.025) and longer time to computed tomography scan (33 [IQR 25−43] vs. 23 [IQR 20−31] min, P < 0.001). Moreover, in the COVID-19 cohort, three times more patients were transferred from the emergency department (ED) straight to the operating room (n = 12 [19%] vs. n = 4 [5.7%], P = 0.018, Cramer's V = 0.21). CONCLUSION: Patients were more severely injured, and more patients required emergent surgery during the lockdown. In addition, it took longer to transfer patients to the ED and to perform a computed tomography scan.