The impact of elective surgery restrictions during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on shoulder and elbow surgery: patient perceptions

BACKGROUND: In late 2019 and early 2020, a novel coronavirus, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), spread across the world, creating a global pandemic. In the state of Pennsylvania, non-emergent, elective operations were temporarily delayed from proceeding with the normal standard of care. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who required prescription pain medication during the surgical delay. Secondarily, we sought to determine the proportion of patients who perceived their surgical procedure as non-elective and to evaluate how symptoms were managed during the delay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single institutional database was used to retrospectively identify all shoulder and elbow surgical procedures scheduled between March 13 and May 6, 2020. Charts were manually reviewed. Patients who underwent non–shoulder and elbow–related procedures and patients treated by surgeons outside of Pennsylvania were excluded. Patients whose surgical procedures were postponed or canceled were administered a survey evaluating how symptoms were managed and perceptions regarding the delay. Preoperative functional scores were collected. Statistical analysis was performed to determine associations between procedure status, preoperative functional scores, perception of surgery, and requirement for prescription pain medication. RESULTS: A total of 338 patients were scheduled to undergo shoulder and elbow surgery in our practice in Pennsylvania. Surgery was performed as initially scheduled in 89 of these patients (26.3%), whereas surgery was postponed in 179 (71.9%) and canceled in 70 (28.1%). The average delay in surgery was 86.7 days (range, 13-299 days). Responses to the survey were received from 176 patients (70.7%) in whom surgery was postponed or canceled. During the delay, 39 patients (22.2%) required prescription pain medication. The surgical procedure was considered elective in nature by 73 patients (41%). One hundred thirty-seven patients (78%) would have moved forward with surgery if performed safely under appropriate medical guidelines. Lower preoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores (r = −0.36, P < .001) and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation scores (r = −0.26, P = .016) and higher preoperative visual analog scale scores (r = 0.28, P = .009) were correlated with requiring prescription pain medication. Higher preoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores were positively correlated with perception of surgery as elective (r = 0.4, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing elective shoulder and elbow surgical procedures during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic experienced a delay of nearly 3 months on average. Fewer than half of patients perceived their surgical procedures as elective procedures. Nearly one-quarter of patients surveyed required extra prescription pain medicine during the delay. This study elucidates the fact that although orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgery is generally considered “elective,” it is more important to a majority of patients. These findings may also be applicable to future potential mandated surgical care delays by other third-party organizations.