Surgical management during three phases of covid-19 pandemic with changing role of thoracic computerized tomography imaging in orthopaedic patient management: Lessons learned by orthopaedic surgeon

Abstract

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has ravaged the whole world. It had affected the allied surgical branches that had to reinvent the protocols for patient management. Trauma being inevitable, needed urgent attention. The changing perspectives had a defining role in the direction of arthroplasty too.The pandemic has been considered into three different phases: 1. The acute phase of the lockdown; 2. The intermediate phase of surgical prioritization; 3. The late phase of surgical management post-vaccination.We deliberate on the impact of the pandemic on orthopaedic surgery and the role of Thoracic computerized tomography (Th-CT) imaging during Covid-19 on the surgical practice of orthopaedic surgeons. Th-CT had been useful imaging during the acute phase of lockdown in the pandemic to identify the asymptomatic Covid-19 infection and to gauge the severity of viral infection. We reviewed the guidelines formulated during each step and identified the lessons learned by the practicing orthopaedic surgeon. We further elaborate on the changes in the usage of Th-CT in the subsequent intermediate and late phases of the pandemic for orthopaedic surgeons. The critical consideration remained to achieve an uneventful recovery during the orthopaedic surgical management, to avoid the transmissibility of infection to the surgeon, and to protect the patient from the high morbidity and mortality of Covid-19 related illness. The Covid-19 pandemic has instigated orthopaedists to develop a holistic approach to deal with the new challenges during this pandemic era.