Lessons Learned from Reconstructing Severe Hand Injuries During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Christina Glisic, Tonatiuh Flores, Erol Konul, Hugo Sabitzer, Giovanni Bartellas, Alexander Rohrbacher, Berfin Sakar, Sascha Klee, Uwe Graichen, Patrick Platzer, Klaus F. Schrögendorfer, Konstantin Bergmeister

TL;DR
This paper examines how the management of severe hand injuries changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies strategies that helped achieve good outcomes despite challenges.
Contribution
The study provides practical insights and solutions for managing hand trauma during a global health crisis.
Findings
Occupational finger amputation injuries decreased during the pandemic, while private accidents increased.
Reconstruction attempts were successful in 59 out of 67 cases despite logistical and resource challenges.
Tele-medicine and back table preparation were effective in improving outcomes during the pandemic.
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 presented many challenges for our health system, one being a suspected change in the epidemiology of severe hand trauma modalities. These complex injuries are traditionally treated at specialized hand trauma centers, but COVID-19 has in many ways disturbed these established pathways and presented new challenges. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed finger amputation injuries treated at the University Hospital of St. Poelten between 2018 and 2022 to examine differences in the management of micro amputation injuries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further challenges in the treatment of hand trauma patients were analyzed and solutions were developed. Results: Overall, the number of occupational finger amputation injuries in Lower Austria declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrarily, more private accidents were treated in the same period, suggesting a…
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Taxonomy
TopicsCOVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation · Surgical site infection prevention
