Abstract
Pediatric ankle and wrist fractures are very common injuries encountered by orthopedic departments. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence has published guidelines that should be adhered to when treating these common fractures. This audit included 560 patients that have sustained wrist and ankle fractures between 2008 and 2019 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Burton (QHB) that required surgical management. The results show that 99.7% (478/479) wrist fractures and 70.8% (57/81) of ankle fractures received surgical management within the timeframe outlined by NICE. This audit has shown that QHB has been successfully treating wrist fractures within the guidelines set by NICE but has failed to meet the standards for ankle fractures.
Highlights
IntroductionDistal radius fractures are extremely common injuries in the pediatric population, with one-third of patients suffering this injury before the age of 17 and representing 9% of all childhood injuries [1]
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has set guidelines for wrist and ankle fracture management in order to achieve the best functional outcome for patients with less pain and a better range of movement
A total of 560 patients were identified and included in the audit; of those, 479 cases consisted of pediatric wrist fractures and the remaining 81 were pediatric ankle fractures (Table 2)
Summary
Distal radius fractures are extremely common injuries in the pediatric population, with one-third of patients suffering this injury before the age of 17 and representing 9% of all childhood injuries [1]. There is evidence that the incidence rates of distal radius fractures are growing [2] and alongside it the rate of surgical intervention [3], resulting in an increased burden on the health service. Ankle fractures are common injuries with some literature stating the annual incidence rate to be 1 in 1000 [4] and accounts for 9%-18% of physeal injuries in children aged between 10 and 15 years [5]. With regard to ankle fractures, they should ideally be treated either on the day of injury or the day
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