The epidemiology of fractures of the scaphoid. Surgical versus nonsurgical treatment for scaphoid waist fracture with slight or no displacement: A meta-analysis and systematic review. An Epidemiologic Perspective on Scaphoid Fracture Treatment and Frequency of Nonunion Surgery in the USA. Health Technol Assess 2020 24:1-270Īn infographic depicting the SWIFFT study findingsĭy CJ, and others. Surgical fixation compared with cast immobilisation for adults with a bicortical fracture of the scaphoid waist: the SWIFFT RCT. The current group of patients will be assessed five years after their initial treatment to look at longer term outcomes of arthritis and pain. Remaining questions include how the techniques compare in treating less common types of scaphoid fractures, or those with more displacement of the broken bones. In the US, surgeons now may have to justify surgery rather than plaster cast. The findings are being incorporated into UK and Canadian guidelines for treating broken wrists. Even during the SWIFFT trial, there was a shift back from surgery to simply treating with a plaster cast. Many of those sustaining a wrist fracture were not aware of implications such as arthritis if the bone is not promptly and properly healed. Researchers say their findings are timely, as there is an increasing trend towards surgery to fix a broken scaphoid bone in the wrist. It would also reduce the costs of treatment. Even so, the move to using plaster casts first would reduce risks further. The risks of surgery in relatively young and healthy men are low. Surgery to fix the scaphoid with a screw should be carried out only if the fracture does not heal in a cast. The researchers concluded that a plaster cast should be used as first-line treatment. It found the cost of surgery to the NHS was £2,350, compared to £727 for plaster cast treatment.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |