Orthopedics and COVID-19: Scientific Publications Rush

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this literature review is to analyze all the articles related to COVID-19 and orthopedics and to shed light on the scientific evidence that has actually been found. Methods: A systematic review of the existing literature was performed to identify all studies dealing with COVID-19 and orthopedics. The guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) were followed for the identification of the articles. On April 19 2020, a search was performed using MEDLINE and PubMed Central. For the research, the following terms were used: “COVID-19” OR “SARS-CoV-2” OR “Coronavirus” AND “orthopaedic” OR “orthopedic” OR “traumatology”. Results: A total of 23 studies were included in the review, of which 19 (82.6%) were editorials, letters to editors, orthopedic forums or expert opinions, 3 (13.0%) studies were level IV of evidence and 1 (4.4%) was a literature review. Articles have been divided into the follow categories: guidelines, traumatology, pediatric, spine surgery, telemedicine, sports medicine, bioethical, educational, rehabilitation, survey and hand surgery. Conclusions: Although scientific production is very active on the topic of COVID-19 and orthopedics, the scientific evidence is practically nil, mainly dealing with editorials, letters to editors or expert opinions. Therefore, future studies should focus on clinical outcomes and treatments in COVID-19-positive orthopedic patients and prevention strategies. Additionally, international guidelines and consensus statements must be developed to standardize procedures as much as possible in this pandemic scenario.