Elective surgeries delayed by COVID-19 impact patients’ health

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — At the height of the pandemic, hospital beds across Indiana were packed with COVID-19 patients. There wasn’t enough PPE (personal protective equipment) to keep pace with treating those infected. And doctors, nurses and EMTs were working triple shifts to help save lives. 

As a result, Governor Eric Holcomb issued an executive order directing all health care providers–medical, dental, dermatological–to cancel or postpone elective surgeries.  

News 8 spoke with Dr. Joseph Maratt, orthopedic surgeon at Methodist Sports Medicine. Maratt discussed the impact of delaying surgeries such as hip and knee replacements. He also talked about the difficulties of living with chronic pain and why some elective procedures fall into a grey area between optional and essential.

News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over 5 years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Instagram @reportergillis and Facebook @DrMaryGillis.