?:abstract
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Orthopaedic trauma presents a unique and complex challenge in the initial phase of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) global crisis Little is currently known about the surgical practices in orthopaedic emergencies in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak (1) This is a retrospective case series of 10 orthopaedic trauma patients who underwent fracture fixation in March 2020 Of the 10 patients testing COVID-19 positive, there were a total of 16 long bone fractures, 5 pelvic ring fractures, and 1 lumbar burst fracture There were 7 (70%) males in this cohort Two (20%) of the COVID-positive patients did not develop fever, leukocytosis, respiratory insufficiency, or positive imaging findings and were younger (average age 25 5 years) with fewer comorbidities (average 0 5) compared with the 8 symptomatic COVID-19-positive patients (56 6 years with 1 88 comorbidities) Advancement of COVID-19 pathogenesis with lung opacities and prolonged intubation occurred in all 5 patients who remained on ventilation postoperatively (range 9 hours-11 days) At the time of most recent follow-up, all patients survived, 1 continues to require ventilation support, 1 remains admitted without ventilation support, and 8 (80%) were discharged to home
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