Background: The regional lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a significant impact on trauma presentation and its management process. Essential orthopaedic care had to be provided despite the risks of exposure to the deadly COVID-19 virus. The present study investigated the numbers and nature of injuries requiring intervention with the most common region involved in trauma amidst the pandemic. The other objective of the current study is to share our experience regarding the measures taken; to conserve healthcare resources, in prioritizing medically necessary trauma and orthopaedic procedures and for the safety of the healthcare workers involved.

Methods: An observational study having a retrospective design to measure the pattern of orthopaedic trauma reported during regional lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Hospital’s patient record form was used as a study tool to collect data from 25 March 2020 until 30 June 2020.

Results: A total of 260 admissions were done in the orthopaedics department during the lockdown period. Among these, 35 patients tested positive for COVID-19 and were shifted to a dedicated facility for further management. The remaining 225 patients were admitted in the routine wards. Based on the mode of injury, 45% of COVID-19 negative admissions had fractures due to high energy trauma, 36% were geriatric fractures, and 19% consisted of paediatric trauma. The remaining 7% were mostly essential elective cases. The region most commonly involved in a fracture was the osteoporotic hip, which accounted for 24% of all trauma surgeries.

Conclusion: Regardless of the duration and severity of this pandemic, trauma and orthopaedic will remain available for emergency services. However, due to massive healthcare resource allocation for the novel coronavirus pandemic, treatment of the orthopaedics patient population has been markedly affected and severe disabilities will emerge and pose management challenges in the post COVID-19 phase.

Keywords: COVID-19, Trauma and Orthopaedic, Healthcare Resources, Pakistan