Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33759030›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie2022

Increasing age and modifiable comorbidities are associated with short-term complications after open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures.

Richard M Danilkowicz, Nathan L Grimm, Jaewhan Kim, Jeffrey A O'Donnell, Nicholas B Allen, Samuel B Adams

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Article in European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 19% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. [Full weight-bearing after geriatric ankle fractures-No problem?]Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 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

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Richard M DanilkowiczDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 4709 Creekstone Drive, Durham, NC, 27703, USA.
Nathan L GrimmIdaho Sports Medicine Institute, Boise, ID, USA.
Jaewhan KimDepartment of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, University of Utah College of Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Jeffrey A O'DonnellDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 4709 Creekstone Drive, Durham, NC, 27703, USA.
Nicholas B AllenDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 4709 Creekstone Drive, Durham, NC, 27703, USA.
Samuel B AdamsDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 4709 Creekstone Drive, Durham, NC, 27703, USA. samuel.adams@duke.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1020-1167
Duke Medical Center · USDuke University · USMinnesota Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute · USUniversity of Utah · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnkle fractures are common orthopedic injuries with complication rates fixation of up to 40%. Limited evidence exists in the literature regarding complications in the elderly population, and moreover, these studies frequently define elderly arbitrarily at 60-65 years old. The purpose of the present study was to utilize a large, validated database to evaluate whether there is an inflection point of age when postoperative complications after an ankle fracture significantly increase.

methodsA retrospective review of all patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent fixation of an ankle fracture between 2012 and 2018 was performed. Patients were identified within the database using the Current Procedural Terminology codes. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed with p value less than 0.05 considered statistically significant.

resultsA total of 27,633 fractures were including and comprised of 221 posterior malleolar, 1567 medial malleolar, 8495 lateral malleolar, 10,175 bimalleolar, and 7175 trimalleolar. A total of 1545 complications were encountered (5.6%). There was a statistically significant association between increasing age and complications (OR = 1.03; p < 0.001). Further analysis shows the largest spike in complications within the age 78 + bracket. There were no overall interaction effects between age and fracture subtype (p = 0.223).

conclusionORIF of ankle fractures is a common orthopedic procedure performed on patients of all ages, with complications ranging in severity. In order to best counsel patients on their individual postoperative risks, large datasets are often necessary to prognosticate. This study found that postoperative complications increase with advanced age. The incidence of complications did not spike for patients around the age of 65, but rather followed an incremental linear pattern with the largest increase in odds ratio occurring at age 78 and above. Complication rate was not associated with specific fracture type based off of ICD codes.

Indexed as

Ankle FracturesAgedFracture Fixation, InternalHumansMiddle AgedOpen Fracture ReductionPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAnkleComplicationsElderlyFracture

Identifiers

PMID33759030
OpenAlexW3138327921

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.