Orthopedics This Week reports on HSS study findings presented at the 2021 Spring American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Annual Meeting by HSS anesthesiologist Stavros G. Memtsoudis, MD, PhD, MBA, and colleagues.

The study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected hip fracture patient outcomes, including: hospital stay, admission to an intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, 30-day readmission, discharge disposition and postoperative complications.

Dr. Memtsoudis explained, “Studying this topic is important because events that stress the healthcare system, like this pandemic, allow us to gain rare insights into what happens to medical care when resources become scarce.”

Overall, researchers found that the number of hip fracture cases during COVID-19 decreased by 50% compared to the same time period the year before. And those patients who were admitted to the hospital were discharged earlier and were less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit.

Dr. Memtsoudis said, “One of the major takeaways from this study was we saw that fractures were more commonly treated nonoperatively, and how outcomes differed.”

He added, “These results should make us reevaluate our practice going forward to make sure we do not waste resources but also affirm interventions that truly are beneficial.”

Read the full article at Ryortho.com.