Trauma in Children during Lockdown for SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. A Brief Report

Abstract

Purpose: The national lockdown established by the Italian government began on the 11th of March 2020 as a means to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The purpose of this brief report is to evaluate the effect of the national lockdown on the occurrence and characteristics of trauma in children during lockdown. Methods: All children admitted to our paediatric orthopaedic unit with a diagnosis of fracture or trauma, including sprains and contusions, between 11 March 2020 and 11 April 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. Their demographic data, type of injury, anatomical location and need for hospitalisation were compared with the equivalent data of children admitted for trauma in the same period of 2018 and 2019. Results: Sixty-nine patients with trauma were admitted in 2020, with a significant decrease in comparison with 2019 (n = 261) and 2018 (n = 289) (p < 0.01). The patients were significantly younger, and the rate of fractures significantly increased in 2020 (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Home confinement decreased admissions to the emergency department for trauma by shutting down outdoor activities, schools and sports activities. However, the rate of fractures increased in comparison with minor trauma, involved younger children and had a worse prognosis.

Is It Safe to Stay at Home? Parents’ Perceptions of Child Home Injuries during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…Older children during quarantine stayed at home in front of screens without physical activity and, consequently, without injuries [ 29 ]. On the other hand, preschool children were forced to be inside the house, most of the time without careful supervision, but they kept their playfulness, which led them to inside injuries [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. A significantly high percentage of children’s accidents was observed in rural/island areas as well as in the suburbs, likely because it is more difficult to supervise children in such conditions compared to supervising the narrow space of an apartment or because children in rural areas are less exposed to social isolation and have a lack of contact with peers, so the accidents were not limited [ 33 ].…”

Bone Development and Disease in Infants

“…The current pandemic could not go without discussion in this Special Issue, since our field has also been widely shaken by the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that continues to affect our lives and those of our patients. Dibello et al report differences in trauma in children during this unprecedented time, pointing out very interesting findings [11].…”