ArticleCureus2026
Preoperative Risk Score for Predicting Delayed Wound Healing After Plate Fixation in Patients With Closed Distal Fibular Fractures.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDelayed wound healing after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of distal fibular fractures can impair recovery and increase infection risk. The purpose of this study was to develop a simple preoperative scoring system to predict delayed wound healing after plate fixation in patients with closed distal fibular fractures.
methodsThis retrospective cohort study reviewed 84 patients who underwent plate fixation for closed distal fibular fractures between 2018 and 2024. Delayed wound healing was defined as a surgical wound rated as Grade 2 or higher according to the Southampton Wound Assessment Scale postoperatively. The following preoperative variables were collected, binarized, and entered into a logistic regression model to develop a weighted risk score: age, diabetes mellitus status, fracture characteristics, and planned number of plates.
resultsDelayed wound healing occurred in 30 patients. Multivariate analysis identified age ≥70 years, complex fracture type, and use of ≥2 plates as independent predictors of delayed wound healing. Presence of diabetes mellitus was retained for clinical relevance. Each predictor was weighted as follows: age and diabetes, one point each; fracture type and planned use of ≥2 plates, two points each. These scores demonstrated good predictive performance.
conclusionWe developed a simple preoperative scoring system for predicting delayed wound healing following ORIF for closed distal fibular fractures using four clinical variables, supporting early risk stratification. This model may aid in identifying high-risk patients preoperatively, allowing for informed surgical planning and individualized perioperative care to minimize wound complications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.