Changes of clinical activities in an orthopaedic institute in North Italy during the spread of COVID-19 pandemic: a seven-week observational analysis

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic is importantly affecting the orthopaedic practice all over the world with Northern Italy being the first European area that faced the worst scenario. In this study, the changes in clinical practice occurred in an orthopaedic center in Milan are described. Methods Number and type of admissions, outpatients cancelled and preserved, emergency room, and intensive care unit activities have been analyzed in the timeframe of seven weeks since the beginning of the pandemic (from February 24th to April 10th) and compared with the same period in 2019. Results The planned surgical admissions declined from 2172 in 2019 to 664 in 2020 (69.42%, p