Is COVID-19 associated with delayed treatment of road traffic injuries arriving at the emergency department?

Abstract Objective This study aims to determine the delay in treatment of road traffic injuries in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Out of 373 RTI patients, the majority were males (312, 83.6%), and the mean ± SD age was 32.2 ± 17.4. Most injuries were fractures in the upper & lower limbs (236, 63.3%), and 302 (81.0%) underwent surgery. Of 373, 74 (19.8%) RTI patients were positive for COVID-19. The mean ± SD number of hours from ED arrival to treatment start in COVID-19 positive patients was 10.9 ± 6.7, while 6.4 ± 1.6 in negative patients. About 65% of the patients had a delay in treatment (n = 242). After 30 days of follow-up, 21 (5.6%) patients were dead. The adjusted odds of delay in treatment of RTI patients were 1.80 times (95% CI 1.27–2.45) in males compared to females. The adjusted odds of treatment delays in COVID-19 positive patients were 1.47 times (95% CI 1.13–1.92) compared to negative patients.