The prevalence of infantile hip dislocation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated short-term treatment outcomes – Retrospective case-series

This case series identified the prevalences of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and congenital hip dislocations (CHD) within Erie County, New York before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed the potential clinical impacts of the pandemic on the treatment of DDH and CHD. We calculated prevalence rates from the total number of DDH and CHD each year and evaluated relevant demographic and clinically important variables by performing a retrospective chart review. Thirty-seven patients were included in the study (pre-COVID-19 n = 18, during-COVID-19 n = 19). The prevalence of DDH only increased by 8 % during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period while the prevalence of CHD increased by 32 %. While both male and female infants presented before the pandemic, only female patients presented during the pandemic. During the pandemic, patients presented later in life and waited longer for surgery compared to the pre-pandemic period; however, due to the limited number of cases, the differences were not found to be statistically significant. We found no significant differences between the two periods in the number of patients requiring further surgery or in surgical outcomes. The study observed a moderate increase in the prevalence rates of CHD and DDH. We observed trends of a negative impact on the Erie County DDH population; however, these trends were not statistically significant.