Trends in Burn Injuries in Northern Israel During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 obliged many countries to apply lockdown policies to contain the spread of infection. The restrictions in Israel included limitations on movement, reduction of working capacity and closure of the educational system. The present study focused on patients treated at a referral center for burns in northern Israel. Our goal was to investigate temporal variations in burn injuries during this period. Data was retrospectively extracted from the medical records of burn patients treated at our hospital between March 14, 2020 and April 20, 2020 (i.e., the period of aggravated lockdown). Data from this period was compared to that from paralleling periods between 2017-2019. During the lockdown and paralleling periods, 178 patients were treated for burn injuries, of whom 44% were under 18. Although no restrictions were enforced during the virus outbreak period with regard to seeking medical care, we noticed a decrease in the number of patients admitted to the emergency room for all reasons. Of particular interest was a 66% decrease in the number of adult burn patients (p&0.0001). Meanwhile, among the pediatric population, no significant decrease was observed. Nonetheless, subgroups with higher susceptibility to burn injuries included children aged 2-5 years (56.3% vs 23.8%, p=0.016) and female patients from all pediatric age groups (57.1% vs 25%, p=0.027). These findings may be explained by the presumably busier kitchen and dining areas during the lockdown. Overall, the study results can assist with building a stronger understanding of varying burn injuries, and with developing educational and preventive strategies.

Characteristics of burn injury during COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo: A descriptive study

“…The major mechanism of burn injuries under stay-at-home orders or lockdowns is universally reported as flame burns [12] , [19] , [24] , and similar results were obtained in this study. The relatively higher incidence of injuries in a closed space and inhalation injuries is likely due to the prolonged stay of people at home.…”

“…While various studies have reported the reduction of burn injuries under stay-at-home orders or during lockdown periods [11] , [12] , [23] , [24] , the number of patients during the stay-at-home order did not decrease in this study. This may be because Tokyo citizens were only asked, rather than mandated, to refrain from going outside.…”

Impact of COVID-19 on Patient Trends and Outcome: Results from a Tertiary Care Burn and Plastic Unit in Northern India

“…However, these centers also did not have any COVID-19-positive burns. 11,12 The drop in new admissions during the pandemic period can be attributed to lockdown restrictions and fear among patients from coming to hospitals. This has also led to patients landing late in the hospital after worsening of their condition, highlighting the need for stricter transfer guidelines for burn patients.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Burn Care at a Major Regional Burn Center

“…Williams et al 4 and Greenhalgh 5 described increased burn center admissions, while Kruchevsky described decreased admissions overall, but increased levels in the pediatric and female demographic categories. 3 Keays et al 6 showed a remarkable reduction in traumatic injuries presenting to Montreal Children’s Hospital, Canada.…”