Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological profile of the initial care of victims of falls.

Objective: to assess the epidemiological profile of trauma patients from fall from the same level (FSL) and fall from an elevated level (FEL) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to compare it with data from different levels of restriction (flags) and data prior to the pandemic.

Method: a cross-sectional study with a probability sample of the medical records of patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the emergency room due to falls, from June 2020 to May 2021. Epidemiological data, such as sex, age and injuries were analyzed, as well the current level of restriction. The three restriction periods were compared between then and the proportion of admissions due to falls was compared with the period from December 2016 to February 2018.

Results: a total of 296 admissions were evaluated, 69.9% were victims of FSL and 30.1% of FEL. The mean age was 57.6 years, and 45.6% were over 60 years old. Admissions among men predominated, and 40.2% of patients required hospitalization. During the red flag period, there were proportionally more injuries to the head and neck (p=0.016), injuries to extremities (p=0.015) and neurological trauma (p<0.001). An average of 6.1, 6.3 and 5.2 admissions per day was obtained during the yellow, orange and red flag, respectively. There was a relative increase in falls when compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Conclusions: there was an absolute reduction in admissions of victims of falls in midst of the most restrictive period during the pandemic. However, when compared to pre-pandemic data, there was a relative increase in falls.