Timing of Olecranon Fracture Fixation Does Not Affect Early Complication or Reoperation Rates.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Trauma Surgery
• Fracture Management

Background:

• Surgical fixation of olecranon fractures can result in soft-tissue complications and necessitate hardware removal.
• Existing research identifies some risk factors for complications but has not evaluated the impact of fixation timing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess whether the timing of olecranon fracture fixation influences complication and reoperation rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 97 patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation for olecranon fractures (January 2012-February 2022).
• Patients stratified into early (0-3 days), standard (4-14 days), and delayed (>14 days) fixation groups.
• Fisher's exact test and multivariate analysis used to compare outcomes and identify associated factors.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in total complications or reoperation rates were observed among the early, standard, and delayed fixation groups.
• Smoking was significantly associated with total complications; open fractures were significantly associated with reoperation.
• Polytrauma and open fractures correlated with earlier surgery, while smoking was linked to delayed fixation.

Conclusions:

• The timing of surgical fixation for displaced olecranon fractures does not significantly increase the incidence of early complications or the need for reoperation.
• Factors such as smoking and open fracture status are more significantly associated with adverse outcomes than fixation timing.