Lessons learnt from the impact of COVID-19 on arthroplasty services in Hong Kong: how to prepare for the next pandemic?

Background: Arthroplasty services worldwide have been significantly disrupted by the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This retrospective comparative study aimed to characterize its impact on arthroplasty services in Hong Kong.

Methods: From January 1 to June 30, 2020, the patients of "COVID-19 cohort" underwent elective total hip or knee replacement in Hong Kong public hospitals. The cohort was compared to the "control cohort" during the same period in 2019. Data analysis was performed to compare the two cohorts' numbers of operations, hospital admission, orthopaedic clinic attendances, and waiting time.

Results: A total of 33,111 patient episodes were analyzed. During the study period, the elective arthroplasty operations and hospitalizations decreased by 53 and 54%, respectively ( < 0.05). Reductions were most drastic from February to April, with surgical volume declining by 86% ( < 0.05). The primary arthroplasty operations decreased by 91% ( < 0.05), while the revision operations remained similar. Nevertheless, 14 public hospitals continued performing elective arthroplasty for patients with semi-urgent indications, including infection, progressive bone loss, prosthesis loosening, dislocation or mechanical failure of arthroplasty, and tumor. At the institution with the highest arthroplasty surgical volume, infection (28%) was the primary reason for surgery, followed by prosthesis loosening (22%) and progressive bone loss (17%). The orthopaedic clinic attendances also decreased by 20% ( < 0.05). Increases were observed in waiting time and the total number of patients on the waiting list for elective arthroplasty.

Conclusions: Despite the challenges, public hospitals in Hong Kong managed to continue providing elective arthroplasty services for high-priority patients. Arthroplasty prioritization, infection control measures, and post-pandemic service planning can enhance hospital preparedness to mitigate the impact of current and future pandemics.