256 Comparative Analysis of Emergency Department Visits for Breast Injuries Pre- and Post-COVID

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Studies show a decrease in injury-related emergency department (ED) visitsduring COVID.There is a gap in the literature regarding the effect of the pandemic on breast injury-related ED visits. We aim to compare these visits pre- and post-COVID, and whether this subset reflects the same trends seen in overall injury-related ED visits. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A retrospective study of breast injuries was conducted between 2018 and 2022, using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Patients were categorized into pre-COVID and post-COVID groups, for visits occurring before and after January 20, 2020. A total of 1077 breast injuries were stratified into pre-COVID (n = 444) and post-COVID (n = 633) groups. Clinical data on patient demographics, diagnosis, disposition, location, and alcohol use were collected. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Mean age was significantly different: pre-COVID mean age was 37.29; post-COVID’s was 40.40 (p = 0.0338). >90% of patients were female (p = 0.4066). White patients accounted for 36.0% of pre-COVID visits and 47.2% of post-COVID; BIPOC patients were 32.88% and 31.75% respectively. There was significant difference between race and COVID groups (p = 0.0013). No significant differences were found when considering all diagnoses (p = 0.3841) or the top three diagnoses (other, contusions/abrasions, and burns/scald) (p = 0.6176). Incident location showed a weak evidence of association (α = 0.1), when including unrecorded data (p = 0.1365) and removing those entries (p = 0.0832). Alcohol use did not reveal a significant association (p = 0.2110). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: There are more breast injuries reported post-COVID. No significant difference was identified in the types of injuries diagnosed, the location these injuries took place, and how these injuries were treated. However, the demographics (age, race) of patients seeking care were significantly different.