Rebound incidence of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in the peripandemic coronavirus disease era: An audit of centers experience.
The coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic led to shutdowns of organized sporting activity. Prolonged periods of inactivity lead to deconditioning and may increase one's risk for injury. The purpose of this study was to quantify the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries requiring reconstruction during the peripandemic period.
The electronic medical record of a single university teaching hospital was queried for current procedural terminology codes for ACL reconstructions (ACLR; 29,888) from January 2017 to December 2022. Date of injury was collected from clinic notes if it could be estimated within 2 weeks. The years 2017-2019 were used as a proxy for "pre-COVID," the year 2020 for "COVID," and the years 2021-2022 for "post-COVID."
In total, 2178 patients had an ACL injury and underwent reconstruction from 2017 to 2022. Date of injury could be estimated for 1,617 patients (51.3% male, average age 30.9 ± 11.0 years). There was a decrease in the number of ACL surgeries observed during the COVID era, followed by a post-COVID rebound. The proportion of female patients who underwent ACLR increased from the pre-COVID to the post-COVID period (42.7% vs. 49.4%, P < .001). The proportion of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score 2 increased from the COVID to the post-COVID period in relation to the proportion of patients with ASA score 1 (P = .007).
ACLRs decreased at our institution during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an increase in ACLRs from 2021 to 2022. The proportion of female patients and patients with higher ASA scores increased in the post-COVID era.
The electronic medical record of a single university teaching hospital was queried for current procedural terminology codes for ACL reconstructions (ACLR; 29,888) from January 2017 to December 2022. Date of injury was collected from clinic notes if it could be estimated within 2 weeks. The years 2017-2019 were used as a proxy for "pre-COVID," the year 2020 for "COVID," and the years 2021-2022 for "post-COVID."
In total, 2178 patients had an ACL injury and underwent reconstruction from 2017 to 2022. Date of injury could be estimated for 1,617 patients (51.3% male, average age 30.9 ± 11.0 years). There was a decrease in the number of ACL surgeries observed during the COVID era, followed by a post-COVID rebound. The proportion of female patients who underwent ACLR increased from the pre-COVID to the post-COVID period (42.7% vs. 49.4%, P < .001). The proportion of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score 2 increased from the COVID to the post-COVID period in relation to the proportion of patients with ASA score 1 (P = .007).
ACLRs decreased at our institution during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an increase in ACLRs from 2021 to 2022. The proportion of female patients and patients with higher ASA scores increased in the post-COVID era.
Authors
Wolfe Wolfe, Bi Bi, Isber Isber, Moore Moore, Strauss Strauss, Jazrawi Jazrawi, Shah Shah
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