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Multicenter Study
. 2018 Nov 16;13(11):e0207702.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207702. eCollection 2018.

Distal radius fractures-Regional variation in treatment regimens

Jenny Saving  1   2 , Sari Ponzer  1   2 , Anders Enocson  1   3 , Cecilia Mellstrand Navarro  1   4
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Distal radius fractures-Regional variation in treatment regimens

Jenny Saving et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objectives: After recent technical innovations of fracture surgery implants, treatment traditions are changing for distal radius fractures, the most common orthopaedic injury. The aim of this study was to determine if the choice of surgical method for treatment of distal radius fractures differ between healthcare regions in Sweden.

Method: The study was based on all (n = 22 378) adult patients who were registered with a surgical procedure due to a distal radius fracture during 2010-2013 in Sweden. Consecutive data was collected from the Swedish National Patient Registry.

Results: The proportions of use of surgical method varied among the 21 healthcare regions between 41% and 95% for internal fixation, between 2.3% and 44% for percutaneous fixation and between 0.6% and 19% for external fixation. Differences between regions were statistically significant in all but 6 comparisons when controlled for age and gender. Incidence rates of surgical treatment of a distal radius fracture varied between 4.2 and 9.2/10 000 person-years.

Conclusion: We conclude that there is a large variation in operative management of distal radius fractures between Swedish healthcare regions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow chart with the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study population; adult patients in Sweden with a surgically treated distal radius fracture 2010–2013.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Proportions of patients treated surgically for distal radius fractures with different methods.
Patients are adults in each of the 21 health care regions in Sweden during 2010–2013 (IF internal fixation, PF pin fixation, EF external fixation). Multinomial logistic regression performed with the proportion of surgical management with internal fixation in Örebro region (the highest proportion) as the reference.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Proportion of internal fixation in surgically treated distal radius fractures in adults for each healthcare region in Sweden during 2010–2013.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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