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Abstract
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STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE: The challenges of COVID-19 could magnify socioeconomic vulnerability for craniomaxillofacial (CMF) trauma. This study compares subjects who presented with CMF fractures to a regional healthcare system during the pandemic with those in 2019. We hypothesized societal circumstances of 2020 would correlate with disproportionately more CMF fractures in vulnerable patients compared to pre-pandemic trends.
METHODS: An IRB approved retrospective study of CMF fracture presentations in 2019 and 2020 was performed. Demographics, injury details, and management details were collected. A residence-based poverty index was calculated for each subject utilizing census data. Pre-pandemic and pandemic cases were compared to identify differences between cohorts.
RESULTS: A large decrease in presentations was noted between pre-pandemic and pandemic cohorts. There was significantly greater poverty the pre-pandemic cohort as compared to the pandemic cohort (P =.026). Overall, there was a significant correlation between higher poverty and violent MOI (P <.001). This association was maintained pre-pandemic, (P =.001) but was insignificant in the pandemic cohort (P =.108). Difference between cohorts with respect to violent injury was non-significant (P =.559) with non-significant difference in demographics including age (P =.390), place of injury (P =.136), employment status (P =.905), insurance status (P =.580), marital status (P =.711), ethnicity (P =.068), and gender (P =.656). Management was not significantly different between cohorts including percent hospital admission (P =.396), surgical intervention (P =.120), and time to operation (P =.109).
CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our hypothesis, this analysis indicates that the societal changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic did not magnify vulnerable populations. Some changes were noted including in volume of presentation, demographic distribution, and injury detail.
Language: en |