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Objective To investigate whether surgery by open reduction and internal fixation provides benefit compared with non-operative treatment for displaced, intra-articular calcaneal fractures.Design Pragmatic, multicentre, two arm, parallel group, assessor blinded randomised controlled trial (UK Heel Fracture Trial).Setting 22 tertiary referral hospitals, United Kingdom.Participants 151 patients with acute displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures randomly allocated to operative (n=73) or non-operative (n=78) treatment.Main outcome measures The primary outcome measure was patient reported Kerr-Atkins score for pain and function (scale 0-100, 100 being the best possible score) at two years after injury. Secondary outcomes were complications; hindfoot pain and function (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score); general health (SF-36); quality of life (EQ-5D); clinical examination; walking speed; and gait symmetry. Analysis was by intention to treat.Results 95% follow-up was achieved for the primary outcome (69 in operative group and 74 in non-operative group), and a complete set of secondary outcomes were available for 75% of participants. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome (mean Kerr-Atkins score 69.8 in operative group v 65.7 in non-operative group; adjusted 95% confidence interval of difference −7.1 to 7.0) or in any of the secondary outcomes between treatment groups. Complications and reoperations were more common in those who received operative care (estimated odds ratio 7.5, 95% confidence interval 2.0 to 41.8).Conclusions Operative treatment compared with non-operative care showed no symptomatic or functional advantage after two years in patients with typical displaced intra-articular fractures of the calcaneus, and the risk of complications was higher after surgery. Based on these findings, operative treatment by open reduction and internal fixation is not recommended for these fractures.Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN37188541.

BackgroundOpen reduction and internal fixation is the treatment of choice for displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures at many orthopaedic trauma centers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether open reduction and internal fixation of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures results in better general and disease-specific health outcomes at two years after the injury compared with those after nonoperative management.MethodsPatients at four trauma centers were randomized to operative or nonoperative care. A standard protocol, involving a lateral approach and rigid internal fixation, was used for operative care. Nonoperative treatment involved no attempt at closed reduction, and the patients were treated only with ice, elevation, and rest. All fractures were classified, and the quality of the reduction was measured. Validated outcome measures included the Short Form-36 (SF-36, a general health survey) and a visual analog scale (a disease-specific scale).ResultsBetween April 1991 and December 1997, 512 patients with a calcaneal fracture were treated. Of those patients, 424 with 471 displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures were enrolled in the study. Three hundred and nine patients (73%) were followed and assessed for a minimum of two years and a maximum of eight years of follow-up. The outcomes after nonoperative treatment were not found to be different from those after operative treatment; the score on the SF-36 was 64.7 and 68.7, respectively (p = 0.13), and the score on the visual analog scale was 64.3 and 68.6, respectively (p = 0.12). However, the patients who were not receiving Workersʼ Compensation and were managed operatively had significantly higher satisfaction scores (p = 0.001). Women who were managed operatively scored significantly higher on the SF-36 than did women who were managed nonoperatively (p = 0.015). Patients who were not receiving Workersʼ Compensation and were younger (less than twenty-nine years old), had a moderately lower Böhler angle (0° to 14°), a comminuted fracture, a light workload, or an anatomic reduction or a step-off of £2 mm after surgical reduction (p = 0.04) scored significantly higher on the scoring scales after surgery compared with those who were treated nonoperatively.ConclusionsWithout stratification of the groups, the functional results after nonoperative care of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures were equivalent to those after operative care. However, after unmasking the data by removal of the patients who were receiving Workersʼ Compensation, the outcomes were significantly better in some groups of surgically treated patients.

Purpose The therapy of distal radial fractures in children is expected to be as non-invasive as possible but also needs to deliver the definite care for gaining optimal reduction and stabilizing the fracture. Therefore, closed reduction and immobilization is competing with routine Kirschner wire fixation. The aim of our study was to investigate if closed reduction and immobilization without osteosynthesis can ensure stabilization of the fracture. Methods We chose a retrospective study design and analyzed 393 displaced distal radial fractures in children from 1 to 18 years with open epiphyseal plates studying medical files and X-rays. The Pearson’s χ 2 test was applied. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. Statistical significance was set at an alpha level of P  = 0.05. Results Of these studied fractures 263 cases were treated with closed reduction and immobilization. Only 38 of these needed secondary interventions, 28 of these underwent reduction after redisplacement and ten patients received secondary Kirschner wire fixation. The last follow-up examination after 4–6 weeks revealed that 96.4 % of fractures initially treated with closed reduction and immobilization were measured within the limits of remodeling. 104 of the studied fractures were treated with cast immobilization alone when displacement was expected to correct due to remodeling. Here 22.1 % of patients needed secondary reduction. Furthermore, primary Kirschner wire fixation was performed in only 25 children with unstable fractures and only one received further treatment. Interestingly, operative reports of primary closed reduction revealed that repeated maneuvers of reduction as well as residual displacement are risk factors for redisplacement. Conclusion For the treatment of displaced distal radial fractures in children closed reduction and immobilization can be considered the method of choice. However, for cases with repeated reduction maneuvers or residual displacement we recommend primary Kirschner wire fixation to avoid redisplacement. Level of evidence Retrospective comparative study, Level III

BackgroundControversy continues with regard to the optimal postoperative care after open reduction and internal fixation of an ankle fracture. The hypothesis of this study was that postoperative treatment of an ankle fracture with a brace that allows active and passive range-of-motion exercises would improve the functional recovery of patients compared with that after conventional treatment with a cast. Thus, the purpose of this prospective, randomized study was to compare the long-term subjective, objective, and functional outcome after conventional treatment with a cast and that after use of functional bracing in the first six weeks following internal fixation of an ankle fracture.MethodsOne hundred patients with an unstable and/or displaced Weber type-A or B ankle fracture were treated operatively and then were randomly allocated to two groupsimmobilization in a below-the-knee cast (fifty patients) or early mobilization in a functional ankle brace (fifty patients) for the first six postoperative weeks. The follow-up examinations, which consisted of subjective and objective (clinical, radiographic, and functional) evaluations, were performed at two, six, twelve, and fifty-two weeks and at two years postoperatively.ResultsThere were no perioperative complications in either study group, but eight patients who were managed with a cast and thirty-three patients who were managed with a brace had postoperative complications, which were mainly related to wound-healing. Two patients in the group treated with a cast had deep-vein thrombosis. All fractures healed well in both groups. The difference between the two groups with respect to the complication rate was significant (p = 0.0005). No significant differences between the study groups were observed in the final subjective or objective (clinical) evaluation. At the two-year follow-up examination, the average score (and standard deviation) according to the ankle-rating scale of Kaikkonen et al. was 85 ± 9 points for the group treated with a cast and 83 ± 10 points for the group treated with a brace, and the average ankle score according to the system of Olerud and Molander was 87 ± 8 points and 87 ± 9 points, respectively.ConclusionsThe long-term functional outcome after postoperative treatment of an ankle fracture with a cast and that after use of a functional brace are similar. Although early mobilization with use of a functional ankle brace may have some theoretical beneficial effects, the risk of postoperative wound complications associated with this treatment approach is considerably increased compared with that after conventional cast treatment. Thus, the postoperative protocol of treatment with a functional brace requires refinement before it can be generally advocated for use after operative treatment of an ankle fracture.Level of EvidenceTherapeutic study, Level I-1b (randomized controlled trial [no significant difference but narrow confidence intervals]). See Intructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Obesity is prevalent in the developed world and is associated with significant costs to the health care system. The effect of morbid obesity in patients operatively treated for long-bone fractures of the lower extremity is largely unknown. The National Trauma Data Bank was accessed to determine if morbidly obese patients (body mass index >40) with lower extremity fractures have longer length of hospital stay, higher cost, greater rehabilitation admission rates, and more complications than nonobese patients. We identified patients with operatively treated diaphyseal femur (6920) and tibia (5190) fractures. Polytrauma patients and patients younger than 16 years were excluded. Morbidly obese patients were identified by ICD-9 and database comorbidity designation (femur, 131 morbidly obese; tibia, 75 morbidly obese). Patients meeting these criteria who were not morbidly obese were used as controls. Sensitivity analyses were performed to analyze patients with isolated trauma to the tibia or femur. Morbidly obese patients were more likely to be admitted to a subacute facility. Length of stay trended higher in morbidly obese patients. There was no significant relationship between obesity and inpatient mortality or inpatient complications. These trends held true when considering patients with multiple injuries and patients who had isolated long-bone injuries. Our study showed that morbidly obese patients may have greater rehabilitation needs following long-bone fractures in the lower extremity. Our study showed no difference in mortality or complications, although further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Fractures of the anterior tibial tubercle are infrequent lesions. They often occur in male adolescent athletes, usually in relation with sports involving powerful jumps. We present a retrospective study of 10 patients, with an average age of 15.1 years, all of them males, and a total of 11 acute avulsions of the anterior tibial tubercle. We analyzed the etiology of the lesion, the type of treatment used as well as non-weight bearing period, protected immobilization period, and time until sports reincorporation. We obtained 11 acute avulsions: one case of type I; three cases of type II; four cases of type III; and three cases of type IV. Five cases were treated conservatively, including the three cases of type IV, and surgery was only performed in six cases since an anatomical reduction was not obtained with closed reduction. The results were satisfactory in all cases, with 100% percentage of sport reincorporation in less de 25 weeks. We registered only one complication, intolerance of material, which did not require additional surgeries. These fractures, although rare, have an excellent prognosis. Even if they are often treated surgically, we have obtained good results with the conservative treatment in patterns previously reported as surgical.

Background Trauma is a major public health problem, particularly in India due to the country’s rapid urbanization. Tibia fractures are a common and often complicated injury that is at risk of infection following surgical fixation. The primary objectives of this cohort study were to determine the incidence of infection within one year of surgery and to describe the distribution of infections by location and time of diagnosis for tibia fractures in India. Methods We conducted a multi-center, prospective cohort study. Patients who presented with an open or closed tibia fracture treated with internal fixation to one of the participating hospitals in India were invited to participate in the study. Participants attended follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery, where they were assessed for infections, fracture healing, and health-related quality of life as measured by the EurQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). Results Seven hundred eighty-seven participants were included in the study and 768 participants completed the 12 month follow-up. The overall incidence of infection was 2.9% (23 infections). The incidence of infection was 1.6% (10 infections) in closed and 8.0% (13 infections) in open fractures. There were 7 deep and 16 superficial infections, with 5 being early, 7 being delayed, and 11 being late infections. Intra-operative antibiotics were given to 92.1% of participants and post-operative antibiotics were given to 96.8% of participants. Antibiotics were prescribed for an average of 8.3 days for closed fractures and 9.1 days for open fractures. Infected fractures took significantly longer to heal, and participants who had an infection had significantly lower EQ-5D scores. Conclusions The incidence of infection within this cohort is similar to those seen in developed countries. The duration of prophylactic antibiotic use was longer than standard practice in North America, raising concern for the potential development of antibiotic resistant microbes within Indian orthopaedic settings. Future research should aim to identify the best practice for antibiotic use in India to ensure that antibiotic usage patterns do not lead to unnecessary overuse, while maintaining a low incidence of infection. Trial registration NCT01691599 , September 17, 2012.

Background Occult and missed surgical neck fractures can be found in patients diagnosed with isolated greater tuberosity (GT) fracture during the follow up period. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the incidence rate of occult and missed surgical neck fractures in those initially diagnosed with isolated GT fracture. Methods Records of patients diagnosed as having an isolated GT fracture were retrieved from a database in a medical center. Two senior orthopedic surgeons blindly reviewed all images of these patients three times to classify GT fracture types (split, avulsion and depression types), and recorded any surgical neck fractures found. Then a meeting was help to confirm the fracture types and presence of surgical neck fracture. Results Occult surgical neck fractures were found in 5 out of 68 (7.4%) patients, whereas missed surgical neck fractures were found in 3 out of 68 (4.4%) patients. In total, 32 patients had split type GT fracture, 32 had avulsion type and 4 had depression type. For those with occult surgical neck fractures, 7 had the split type GT fracture, while the remaining one had the avulsion type. Although the proportion of occult surgical neck fracture was higher in the split-type GT fracture (21.9%) than in the avulsion-type GT fracture (3.1%), the difference was not statistically significant ( p  = 0.056). Conclusion Occult humeral surgical neck fractures occurred in 7.4% of isolated greater tuberosity fractures after re-evaluation, while missed humeral surgical neck fractures occurred in 4.4%.