The Impact of Cigarette Smoking on Tibial Shaft Fracture Healing

Tibial fractures represent a great burden of disease globally, being the most common long-bone fracture; smoking is a known risk factor for delayed skeletal healing and post-fracture complications. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to analyse the effect of smoking on healing of tibial shaft fractures. PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to March 2021, with no limitation on language, to find relevant research. All observational studies that assessed the association between cigarette smoking and tibial shaft fracture healing in adults (≥18 years) were included. The quality of studies was evaluated using the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. A random effects model was used to conduct meta-analysis. Tobacco smoking was associated with an increased rate of non-union and delayed union as well as an increase in time to union in fractures of the tibial shaft. Among the 12 included studies, eight reported an increased rate of non-union, three reported delayed union, and five reported an increase in time to union. However, the results were statistically significant in only three studies for non-union, one for delayed union, and two studies for increased time to union. This review confirms the detrimental impact of smoking on tibial shaft fracture healing and highlights the importance of patient education regarding smoking cessation.

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The economic burden of infections following intramedullary nailing for a tibial shaft fracture in England

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035404 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e035404

Author(s):

Thibaut Galvain ◽

Abhishek Chitnis ◽

Konstantina Paparouni ◽

Cindy Tong ◽

Chantal E Holy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intramedullary Nailing ◽

Healthcare Costs ◽

Shaft Fracture ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Practice Research ◽

Clinical Practice Research Datalink ◽

Tibial Shaft Fracture ◽

Tibial Shaft ◽

The Impact

ObjectivesDetermine the impact of infections on direct costs and healthcare resource use in England for patients undergoing intramedullary nailing (IMN) for tibial shaft fractures.DesignNon-concurrent cohort based on retrospectively collected data with 2-year follow-up.SettingEngland.ParticipantsThe study population included adult patients (≥18 years) in England with a diagnosis of tibial shaft fracture (International Classification of Diseases-10, S822) in the inpatient setting between May 2003 and June 2017 followed by a procedure for IMN for tibial shaft fracture within 30 days. Patient data were derived from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink linked to National Health Service Hospital Episode Statistics datasets.Primary independent variableInfection.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was total inpatient costs from index stay admission through 1 year of follow-up. Secondary outcome included cumulative total healthcare costs, and resource utilisation at 30 days, 90 days, 1 year and 2 years.ResultsOverall, 805 patients met the inclusion criteria. At index inpatient stay, 3.7% had a post-IMN infection, rising to 11.7% at 1 year. One-year inpatient costs were 80% higher for patients with infection (p<0.001). Total costs were estimated to be £14 756 (95% CI £13 123 to £16 593) for patients with infection versus £8279 (95% CI £7946 to £8626). Length of stay (LOS), readmission and reoperation were the key drivers of healthcare costs (all p<0.001). After adjustment, LOS was higher by 109% (95% CI 62% to 169%), from 10.5 days to 21.9 days, for patients with infection. The odds of being readmitted or requiring reoperation were higher by 5.18 times (95% CI 3.01 to 9.13) and 2.47 times (95% CI 1.48 to 4.09), respectively, for patients with infection versus those without infection.ConclusionsPost-IMN infection significantly increases inpatient costs, LOS, readmissions and reoperations associated with tibial fracture fixation. Healthcare burden could be reduced through novel surgical site infection prevention strategies.

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