Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26304043›Full record

ArticleClinical orthopaedics and related research2016

What Factors are Associated With a Surgical Site Infection After Operative Treatment of an Elbow Fracture?

Femke M A P Claessen, Yvonne Braun, Wouter F van Leeuwen, George S Dyer, Michel P J van den Bekerom, David Ring

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Femke M A P ClaessenMassachusetts General Hospital, Hand Surgery, Boston, MA, USA.
Yvonne BraunMassachusetts General Hospital, Hand Surgery, Boston, MA, USA.
Wouter F van LeeuwenMassachusetts General Hospital, Hand Surgery, Boston, MA, USA.
George S DyerUpper Extremity Division, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brigham Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Michel P J van den BekeromShoulder and Elbow Unit, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
David RingMassachusetts General Hospital, Hand Surgery, Boston, MA, USA. dring@mgh.harvard.edu.
Massachusetts General Hospital · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USOLVG · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSurgical site infections are one of the more common major complications of elbow fracture surgery and can contribute to other adverse outcomes, prolonged hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We asked: (1) What are the factors associated with a surgical site infection after elbow fracture surgery? (2) When taking the subset of closed elbow fractures only, what are the factors associated with a surgical site infection? (3) What are the common organisms isolated from an elbow infection after open treatment?

methodsOne thousand three hundred twenty adult patients underwent surgery for an elbow fracture between January 2002 and July 2014 and were included in our study. Forty-eight of 1320 patients (4%) had a surgical site infection develop. Thirty-four of 1113 patients with a closed fracture (3%) had a surgical site infection develop.

resultsFor all elbow fractures, use of plate and screw fixation (adjusted odds ratio [OR]= 2.2; 95% CI, 1.0-4.5; p = 0.041) and use of external fixation before surgery (adjusted OR = 4.7; 95% CI, 1.1-21; p = 0.035) were associated with higher infection rates. When subset analysis was performed for closed fractures, only smoking (adjusted OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.5; p = 0.023) was associated with higher infection rates. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteria cultured (59%).

conclusionsThe only modifiable risk factor for a surgical site infection after open reduction and internal fixation was cigarette smoking. Plate fixation and temporary external fixation are likely surrogates for more complex injuries, therefore no recommendations should be inferred from this association. Surgeons should counsel patients who smoke. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic study.

Indexed as

AdultAgedArm InjuriesElbow InjuriesElbow JointFemaleFracture FixationFracture Fixation, InternalFractures, BoneHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedMultivariate AnalysisNetherlandsOdds Ratio

Identifiers

PMID26304043
PMCPMC4709303
OpenAlexW1900649382

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.