Table 4.
Counts* and rates of reported complications at 12 months after operation by treatment group (Kirschner wires (n=230) or volar locking plate fixation (n=231)), with estimated treatment effects after adjustment
| No (%) with events | No (%) without events | Treatment effect estimates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wire | Plate | Wire | Plate | Raw | Adjusted (95% CI)† | P value | |||
| Cast and dressing | |||||||||
| Cast after operation | 224 (98) | 171 (75) | 5 (2) | 57 (25) | 0.07 | 0.04 (0.01 to 0.11) | <0.001 | ||
| Dressing change | 12 (5) | 11 (5) | 215 (93) | 219 (95) | 0.90 | 0.89 (0.37 to 2.14) | 0.792 | ||
| Plaster change | 42 (18) | 17 (7) | 187 (81) | 211 (91) | 0.36 | 0.35 (0.19 to 0.64) | <0.001 | ||
| Postoperative complications | |||||||||
| Refracture | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 225 (98) | 226 (98) | 1.00 | 0.99 (0.14 to 7.18) | 0.996 | ||
| Neurological injury | 14 (6) | 20 (9) | 215 (93) | 210 (91) | 1.46 | 1.49 (0.72 to 3.09) | 0.272 | ||
| Vascular injury | 0 | 0 | 229 (99) | 228 (99) | — | — | — | ||
| Tendon injury | 4 (2) | 6 (3) | 225 (98) | 223 (96) | 1.51 | 1.57 (0.39 to 6.39) | 0.495 | ||
| Superficial infection | 18 (8) | 12 (5) | 209 (91) | 216 (94) | 0.65 | 0.64 (0.30 to 1.37) | 0.248 | ||
| Deep infection | 1 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 226 (98) | 227 (99) | 1.00 | 0.90 (0.06 to 14.73) | 0.942 | ||
| Treatment | |||||||||
| Antibiotics | 13 (6) | 11 (5) | 217 (93 | 220 (95) | 0.84 | 0.84 (0.37 to 1.93) | 0.684 | ||
| Removal of metalwork | 7 (3) | 11 (5) | 223 (98) | 220 (95) | 1.59 | 1.58 (0.60 to 4.16) | 0.347 | ||
| Debridement | 2 (1) | 1 (<1) | 228 (99) | 230 (99) | 0.50 | 0.46 (0.04 to 5.19) | 0.519 | ||
| Revision | 5 (2) | 2 (1) | 225 (98) | 226 (99) | 0.39 | 0.38 (0.06 to 2.30) | 0.235 | ||
*Where numbers do not add to treatment group size, it indicates that some data were missing.
†Treatment effect estimate is odds ratio. Adjusted effect estimates from mixed effects logistic regression based on complete case analysis with treatment group, age group, sex, and intra-articular extension as covariates (fixed effects) and recruiting centre as random effect; P values are from analysis of variance (ANOVA) χ2 test