The Shifting Landscape of Traumatic Brain Injury After COVID-19: Prelockdown, Lockdown, and Postlockdown Trends: Data from a Referral Center in Colombia.

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic required widespread lockdowns, which have been shown to influence the incidence and characteristics of traumatic brain injury (TBI) worldwide. However, the specific influence of the pandemic on TBI epidemiology in Latin America, particularly Colombia, remains largely unexplored.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included patients with TBI who were admitted to the Hospital Regional de la Orinoquía, a referral center in Colombia, from 2017 to 2021. The patients were categorized into 3 cohorts: prelockdown (PrL), lockdown (L), and postlockdown (PoL). Multivariate statistical analysis was used to compare differences among cohorts.

RESULTS

A total of 4303 patients were included, including 2,795, 495, and 1013 in the PrL, L, and PoL cohorts, respectively. Patients in the L exhibited significantly lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores at admission than those in the other 2 cohorts. Additionally, the incidence of extracranial trauma was higher in the PoL, reaching levels similar to or even superior to those in the PrL.

CONCLUSIONS

TBI characteristics changed not only during the L but also in its aftermath, as PoL patients exhibited distinct features from those in the PrL.