Diferencias sociodemográficas y clínicas de los pacientes con trauma de miembro superior durante la pandemia por COVID-19

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic posed new obstacles and challenges for healthcare delivery. The risk of contagion and confinement brought about circumstantial changes in the presentation of other known pathologies, therefore, upper limb trauma, an important reason for consultation to the emergency room, was no exception. Objective: to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted upper limb trauma sociodemographic characteristics in Bogotá DC. Methods: a descriptive retrospective study conducted at Hospital Universitario Clínica San Rafael; from March 2019 to February 2021. The inclusion criteria included: individuals residing in Bogotá, aged over 18 years whose main admission diagnosis was upper limb trauma. Statistical analysis was used for describing frequency, central tendency, dispersion estimates and bivariate analysis. Results: blunt trauma was the most prevalent trauma injury mechanism (65.55%) and fingers. (40.96%) were the most compromised segments. Soft-tissue injuries (53.50%) and fractures (39.51%) were predominant. There was an increase in open trauma (p=0.000) with hand and wrist involvement (p=0.000), fractures with tendon injuries (p=0.000), surgical procedures such as open reduction and fixation (p=0.038), and tenorrhaphy (p=0.39), as well as bicycle accidents (p=0.000) and trauma resulting from violence in older adults (p=0.002). Conclusion: upper limb trauma is a major cause of admission to emergency services. The pandemic evidenced that despite confinement, there was an increase in the incidence of upper limb injuries and surgical management.