Chicago-based Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush surgeon Richard Berger, MD, is anticipating a second wave of COVID-19 to strike in the fall and is encouraging patients to undergo surgery for orthopedic conditions now.
"Right now, having surgery is safer than shopping for groceries," Dr. Berger said in a news release.
The novel coronavirus is projected to delay, postpone or cancel almost 83.5 percent of orthopedic surgeries in the U.S., according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.
There is also increased potential for opioid addiction for patients using narcotics to manage their pain while delaying treatment due to the pandemic, as outlined in a USA Today report.
Dr. Berger performs surgery at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and Rush Oak Brook (Ill.) Surgery Center and recently surpassed 11,000 joint replacement procedures.