Elective surgeries such as hip and knee replacements have been paused at Mayo Clinic hospitals across western Wisconsin as healthcare workers address an influx of COVID-19 patients in the region, local news outlet WXOW reports.
The decision has caused a backlog of between 40 and 50 cases at Mayo Clinic Eau Claire (Wis.), according to the report.
"We have had to as a hospital make the tough decision to stop elective operations so we can focus solely on patients that need significant medical care in our hospital," Jonathan Webb, MD, a total joint specialist and consulting orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Eau Claire, told WXOW.
Mayo Clinic Health System La Crosse (Wis.) is now accepting patients from the Eau Claire facility to address the elective surgical backlog.