Multi-day delay to care identified in pediatric trauma cases during COVID-19

Litigation Involving Delay of Spinal Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Reported Legal Cases in the United States

BACKGROUND

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, access to medical care was delayed worldwide. In multiple instances, the pandemic has led to delay in care, suboptimal patient outcomes and litigation. This study was designed to assess the incidence and characteristics of litigation in the United States related to delays in spine care secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the legal database LexisNexis following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. LexisNexis was queried for cases, verdicts, and settlements involving a delay of spinal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collected data included plaintiffs' demographics and spinal pathology, delay length and reason, legal cause of action, state/region of occurrence, and case outcome.

RESULTS

Thirty-two cases met the criteria for full review. The average reported delay in litigated cases was 5.64 ± 3.83 months, with 25% having not received the necessary spinal care at the time the claim was filed, most of which were in 2022. Most cases involved lumbosacral disease with pain as the predominant symptom (96.88%), followed by neurological deficits (25%). Most cases (62.50%) involved inmates and were based on a claim of cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides granular detail about the characteristics of litigation related to delay of spinal care secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Most plaintiffs were inmates who had difficulty obtaining a specialist appointment, imaging, or treatment. In many cases the reason for litigation were unattended requests for simple and low-cost interventions.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Orthopedic Injuries: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the pediatric population worldwide. The consequences of the lockdown and the reallocation of hospital resources have caused notable changes in the presentation of pediatric orthopedic injuries. Through our use of patient records, we were able to display the epidemiological trends, as well as analyze the changes in the type and mechanism of various injuries. Our purpose is to further understand the considerable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric orthopedic trauma and help guide the allocation of future healthcare resources.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study on pediatric patients admitted for any orthopedic injury over a 3-year period (September 2018 to August 2021) at a Midwest level 1 trauma center. Cases were stratified into two groups based on the United States' COVID-19 lockdown (19 March 2020): Pre-COVID-19 cases were any cases prior to the lockdown and Intra-COVID-19 which are cases following the lockdown. Numerical data and categorical variables were summarized and differences between the case groups were examined using either two-Proportion Z-Test, Independent Two-Sample t-test, Pearson's chi-squared, or Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTS

A total of 3179 pediatric orthopedic referrals occurred between the Pre-COVID-19 and Intra-COVID-19 study periods. We observed a general decrease in orthopedic injuries following the COVID-19 lockdowns with 1235 injuries compared to 1606 Pre-COVID-19. Patterns in the locations of injuries changed; notably, fractures of the humerus, tibia, and fibula decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Several mechanisms of injuries decreased significantly following the onset of COVID-19 including injuries caused by monkey bars, basketball, and automobiles (p < 0.01). There was a significant increase in the overall injury severity during the Intra-COVID-19 period (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although there was a reduction in acute orthopedic trauma referrals, many injury mechanisms displayed similar trends regardless of restrictions. We clinically observed an overall increase in the severity of pediatric orthopedic injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalisations at a paediatric traumatology department during 2020: a single-centre observational study and comprehensive literature review

PURPOSE

The study investigates changes in the injury characteristics of hospitalised children in a paediatric trauma centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Data from injured children from the pre-pandemic year 2019 were compared to the pandemic year 2020 using Pearson's chi-squared test and the Mann-Whitney U test. The period of highly restrictive regulations (HRP) was evaluated separately. A comprehensive literature review with defined search terms resulted in a descriptive data synthesis.

RESULTS

Data from 865 patients indicated reductions in admissions of 5.6% and 54.4% during the HRP. In 2020, the hospitalisation time was longer (2.2 ± 2.7 days in 2019 vs. 2.4 ± 2.6 in 2020, p = 0.045); the proportions of wounds requiring surgical therapy (p = 0.008) and of observational treatments, primarily for mild brain injuries (p = 0.046), were higher; and conservative treatments, primarily for contusions, were lower (p = 0.005). There were no significant changes in age, location of lesions, or frequency of surgical therapy; nor were there differences in the HRP, except for fewer injuries in school and kindergarten (p < 0.001). The literature review summarises the main results of 79 studies.

CONCLUSION

Limited resources did not alter the indications for surgical therapy. Further studies should examine whether the more common injuries sustained at home were caused by excessive work/childcare demands on parents. Reduced inpatient conservative treatment implies that hospital resources possibly were overused previously. The literature offers answers to many detailed questions regarding childhood injuries during a pandemic and more efficient safe treatment. Registration Ethical committee of RWTH Aachen University EK 22-320; Center for Translational & Clinical Research RWTH Aachen University (CTC-A) 21-430.

Injury Patterns and Outcomes at a Single Pediatric Trauma Center During the Coronavirus Disease 19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is reported to have changed injury patterns, prevalence, and outcomes across multiple institutions in the United States. Interpretation of aggregate data is difficult because injury patterns vary between urban and rural hospitals and the implementation of locoregional public health policies and guidelines in response to COVID-19 differed. To prepare our trauma system for future societal shutdowns, we compared injury patterns and outcomes of injured children and adolescents at a single pediatric trauma center before and during the first 2 y of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We abstracted demographic, injury, and outcome data for injured children and adolescents (age <15 y) who required admission using our hospital trauma registry and the electronic medical record. We compared differences prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic using univariate analysis. To address confounding variables, we also analyzed in-hospital mortality using a multivariable regression.

RESULTS

We observed an increase in the number of injured children requiring admission during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the prepandemic era. Among injury types sustained, we observed an increase in firearm and nonfirearm related penetrating injuries (P < 0.001) during the first year, but not the second year, of the COVID-19 pandemic. Controlling for several confounding variables, we also observed an increase in in-hospital mortality (P = 0.04) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The psychosocial and socioeconomic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to the rise in penetrating injuries and the odds of in-hospital mortality among a cohort of children and adolescents who were admitted to our hospital following injury. This data may be used to prepare our trauma system for future societal shutdowns through data informed resource utilization.

Kids gone wild - Alcohol use and patient characteristics in pediatric trauma during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Importance

Reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on pediatric trauma have been variable.

Objective

We investigated the characteristics of pediatric trauma including alcohol use during the pandemic at our urban trauma center.

Methods

The trauma database of our adult level 1 trauma center was queried for all pediatric (age ≤ 18 years) patients presenting between March 1, 2020, and October 30, 2020. Data from 2017 to 2019 served as a control. Variables analyzed included demographics, mechanisms, injury severity, hospitalization characteristics, and positive blood alcohol.

Results

Pandemic pediatric trauma volumes increased by 67.5% (330/year vs. 197/year). Pandemic patients were younger (median age 13 vs. 14 years, P = 0.011), but similar in gender, ethnicity, severity, hospital length of stay, mortality, and rates of penetrating injury. Falls doubled (79/year vs. 34/year) and shifted away from high falls >6 meters (0% vs. 7.9%) to moderate falls 1-6 meters (58.2% vs. 51.5%) (P = 0.028). Transportation injury rates were similar however mechanisms shifted from motor vehicle crashes (-13.5%) towards recreational vehicles including motorcycles (+2.1%), all-terrain vehicles (+8.6%), and bicycles (+3.8%) (P = 0.018). Pediatric-positive blood alcohol was significantly higher (11.2% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.001), especially for ages 14-18 years (21.7% vs. 9.5%, P < 0.001).

Interpretation

Pediatric trauma volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic increased. Pandemic patients had more recreational vehicle injuries and higher rates of positive blood alcohol. This suggests an increased need for alcohol assessment and targeted interventions in the pediatric population during pandemics or periods of school closures.

Changes in pediatric fracture patterns presenting to US emergency departments before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study was to analyze the demographics of pediatric fracture patients before, during, and after the COVID pandemic using US national emergency department (ED) data. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data for the years 2018 through 2021 was extracted for those <16 years of age, and organized into 24 consecutive bimonthly groups. There was a decrease in the number of ED visits for fractures in 2020 and returned to pre-COVID levels by March/April of 2021, except for small hospitals which demonstrated an earlier rebound beginning in late 2020. During the pandemic the incident locale was more frequently the home and less at schools/sporting venues, which returned to pre-COVID levels by March/April 2021. The proportion of those not discharged from the ED increases from March/April 2020 to March/April 2021. The median age was 8.8, 9.0, 8.2, and 8.7 years respectively for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Early in the pandemic there were more radius/ulna and fewer finger fractures and more tibia/fibula and fewer toe fractures; these changes did not return to pre-COVID percentages until the end of 2021. Fractures associated with bicycles and trampolines remained stable throughout the pandemic, those due to skateboards increased, and those due to playground and sporting activities decreased, with varying times of return to pre-COVID levels. In conclusion pediatric fracture patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated many changes; most returned to baseline patterns by early/mid 2021 except for small hospital EDs which saw a much quicker rebound by late 2020. This national data gives health care providers/administrators information about what can happen during a modern day pandemic. If another pandemic occurs in the future mandating lockdowns, this data may be useful to guide resource and manpower allocations.

Fractures in Children Due to Firearm Activity

The purpose of this study was to investigate fracture patterns due to pediatric firearm injuries. The data used was from the US Firearm Injury Surveillance Study 1993–2019. Over these 27 years, there were 19,033 children with fractures due to firearm activity with an average age of 12.2 years; 85.2% were boys and the firearm was a powder type in 64.7%. The finger was the most common fracture location, while the tibia/fibula was the most common location for those admitted to the hospital. Children ≤ 5 years of age sustained more skull/face fractures; most spine fractures occurred in the 11–15-year age group. The injury was self-inflicted in 65.2% of the non-powder and 30.6% of the powder group. The injury intent was an assault in 50.0% of the powder and 3.7% of the non-powder firearm group. Powder firearms accounted for the majority of the fractures in the ≤5 and 11–15 year-olds, non-powder firearms accounted for the majority of the fractures in the 6–10 year-olds. Injuries occurring at home decreased with increasing age; there was an increase in hospital admissions over time. In conclusion, our findings support the need for safe storage of firearms in the home away from children. This data will be helpful to assess any changes in prevalence or demographics with future firearm legislation or other prevention programs. The increasing acuity of firearm-associated injuries seen in this study is detrimental to the child, impacts familial wellbeing, and results in significant financial costs to society.

Healthcare utilization in children across the care continuum during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

Healthcare utilization decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to reduced transmission of infections and healthcare avoidance. Though various investigations have described these changing patterns in children, most have analyzed specific care settings. We compared healthcare utilization, prescriptions, and diagnosis patterns in children across the care continuum during the first year of the pandemic with preceding years.

Study design

Using national claims data, we compared enrollees under 18 years during the pre-pandemic (January 2016 –mid-March 2020) and pandemic (mid-March 2020 through March 2021) periods. The pandemic was further divided into early (mid-March through mid-June 2020) and middle (mid-June 2020 through March 2021) periods. Utilization was compared using interrupted time series.

Results

The mean number of pediatric enrollees/month was 2,519,755 in the pre-pandemic and 2,428,912 in the pandemic period. Utilization decreased across all settings in the early pandemic, with the greatest decrease (76.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 72.6–80.5%) seen for urgent care visits. Only well visits returned to pre-pandemic rates during the mid-pandemic. Hospitalizations decreased by 43% (95% CI 37.4–48.1) during the early pandemic and were still 26.6% (17.7–34.6) lower mid-pandemic. However, hospitalizations in non-psychiatric facilities for various mental health disorders increased substantially mid-pandemic.

Conclusion

Healthcare utilization in children dropped substantially during the first year of the pandemic, with a shift away from infectious diseases and a spike in mental health hospitalizations. These findings are important to characterize as we monitor the health of children, can be used to inform healthcare strategies during subsequent COVID-19 surges and/or future pandemics, and may help identify training gaps for pediatric trainees. Subsequent investigations should examine how changes in healthcare utilization impacted the incidence and outcomes of specific diseases.

Determinants of COVID-19 Outcome as Predictors of Delayed Healthcare Services among Adults ≥50 Years during the Pandemic: 2006-2020 Health and Retirement Study

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. To date, a limited number of studies have examined the impact of this pandemic on healthcare-seeking behaviors of older populations. This longitudinal study examined personal characteristics linked to COVID-19 outcomes as predictors of self-reported delayed healthcare services attributed to this pandemic, among U.S. adults, ≥50 years of age.

METHODS

Secondary analyses were performed using cross-sectional data (1413 participants) and longitudinal data (2881 participants) from Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (2006-2018) linked to the 2020 HRS COVID-19 Project (57% female, mean age: 68 years). Demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and health characteristics were evaluated in relation to delayed overall, surgical and non-surgical healthcare services ("Since March 2020, was there any time when you needed medical or dental care, but delayed getting it, or did not get it at all?" and "What type of care did you delay") using logistic regression and Ensemble machine learning for cross-sectional data as well as mixed-effects logistic modeling for longitudinal data.

RESULTS

Nearly 32.7% delayed healthcare services, 5.8% delayed surgical services and 31.4% delayed non-surgical services. Being female, having a college degree or higher and 1-unit increase in depression score were key predictors of delayed healthcare services. In fully adjusted logistic models, a history of 1 or 2 cardiovascular and/or metabolic conditions (vs. none) was associated with 60-70% greater odds of delays in non-surgical services, with distinct findings for histories of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. Ensemble machine learning predicted surgical better than overall and non-surgical healthcare delays.

CONCLUSION

Among older adults, sex, education and depressive symptoms are key predictors of delayed healthcare services attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Delays in surgical and non-surgical healthcare services may have distinct predictors, with non-surgical delays more frequently observed among individuals with a history of 1 or 2 cardiovascular and/or metabolic conditions.

Ethical Issues Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic That Have Influenced Pediatric Surgery

The response of the health care system to pediatric surgical patients has been dramatically altered by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Such changes have affected children, families, and the clinicians who care for them. In this review, we highlight some of the ethical issues faced by pediatric surgical patients and pediatric surgeons during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, including the transition to public health ethics, scarcity of resources, exacerbation of disparities, moral distress for pediatric surgeons, and shifting reliance on telemedicine and other remote means of communication. We discuss how these issues have prompted both favorable and unfavorable changes to the surgical care of children and consider which changes may have a lasting effect on pediatric surgery. [Pediatr Ann. 2022;51(8):e306-e310.].