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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Fracture Apparatus Design and Protocol Optimization for Closed-stabilized Fractures in Rodents
Published on: August 14, 2018
A selection strategy was developed for fracture reduction programs in frail older people
Jian Sheng Chen1, Philip N Sambrook, Judy M Simpson
1Institute of Bone and Joint Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, New South Wales, Australia. jschen@med.usyd.edu.au
Objectives:
The aims of this study were to develop and evaluate a simple index for assessing the risk of fractures after a fall and to propose a selection strategy for identifying elderly individuals at high risk of both falls and fall-related fractures.
Study Design And Setting:
Two thousand five institutionalized older men and women were assessed for clinical risk factors and then followed up for falls and fall-related fractures for up to 2 years.
Results:
Our fracture risk index is derived from seven previously identified significant independent risk factors: weight, lower leg length, balance, cognitive function, type of institution, fracture history, and falls in the past year. The fracture rate was 6.5 times greater in the one-sixth of the falls with the highest index (9.7/100 falls) than in the lowest sixth (1.5/100 falls). Our proposed approach (based on balance, risk of falls, and the fracture risk index) selected a group of older people with high risk of both falls and fall-related fracture. The fracture incidence rate was 144% higher, and the falls incidence rate was 31% higher in the selected residents than in the remainder.
Conclusion:
The index could help rationalize fracture prevention programs for frail older people.
