Clavicle fractures: Associated trauma and morbidity

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Trauma Surgery
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Clavicle fractures frequently occur with injuries to other body regions.
• Understanding concomitant injury patterns is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.
• Differences in associated injuries between open and closed clavicle fractures require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the epidemiology of concomitant injuries in patients with clavicle fractures.
• To identify differences in injury patterns between open and closed clavicle fractures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2001-2013.
• Included adult patients with clavicle fracture diagnoses (ICD-9 codes).
• Defined
• common
• injuries as those with prevalence ≥4.0%; analyzed injury locations using chi-square and independent samples t-tests.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 41,1612 patients; 98.2% had closed clavicle fractures.
• Most common concomitant fractures were ribs and spine.
• Open clavicle fractures were associated with higher prevalence of humerus, rib, scapula, pelvis, tibia/fibula, facial bone fractures, concussion, pneumo/hemothorax, pulmonary, and splenic injuries.
• Patients with open fractures were significantly younger (average 11.8 years).

Conclusions:

• Clavicle fractures show significant associations with concussion, splenic, and thoracic injuries.
• Open clavicle fractures present with a higher rate of associated injuries and complications.
• Findings aid clinicians in risk assessment and preventing diagnostic delays for clavicle fracture patients.