Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32748273›Full record

ArticleJournal of experimental orthopaedics2020

The economic cost and patient-reported outcomes of chronic Achilles tendon ruptures.

Niklas Nilsson, Katarina Nilsson Helander, Eric Hamrin Senorski, Anna Holm, Jón Karlsson, Mikael Svensson, Olof Westin

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of experimental orthopaedics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Kidney disease impairs tendon function in rats.The Journal of physiology · 2026
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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

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Niklas NilssonDepartment of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. niklas.nilsson.1995@gmail.com.
Katarina Nilsson HelanderDepartment of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Eric Hamrin SenorskiDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Anna HolmDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Jón KarlssonDepartment of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mikael SvenssonHealth Metrics, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Olof WestinDepartment of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
University of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWhile most Achilles tendon ruptures are dramatic and diagnosed quickly, some are missed, with a risk of becoming chronic. A chronic Achilles tendon rupture is defined as a rupture that has been left untreated for more than 4 weeks. By mapping the health economic cost of chronic Achilles tendon ruptures the health-care system might be able to better distribute resources to detect these ruptures at an earlier time.

methodAll patients with a chronic Achilles tendon rupture who were treated surgically at Sahlgrenska University Hospital or Kungsbacka Hospital between 2013 and 2018 were invited to participate in the study. The patients were evaluated postoperatively using the validated Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS). The health-care costs were assessed using clinical records. The production-loss costs were extracted from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The cost of chronic Achilles tendon ruptures was then compared with the cost of acute ruptures in a previous study by Westin et.al.

resultsForty patients with a median (range) age of 66 (28-86) were included in the study. The mean total cost (± SD) for the patients with a chronic Achilles tendon rupture was 6494 EUR ± 6508, which is 1276 EUR higher than the mean total cost of acute ruptures. Patients with chronic Achilles tendon ruptures reported a mean (min-max) postoperative ATRS of 73 (14-100).

conclusionMissing an Achilles tendon rupture will entail higher health-care costs compared with acute ruptures. Health-care resources can be saved if Achilles tendon ruptures are detected at an early stage.

Indexed as

Achilles tendon ruptureATRSChronic Achilles tendon ruptureOperative

Identifiers

PMID32748273
PMCPMC7399724
OpenAlexW3047179528

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.