Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with tibial fractures allocated to treatment with low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) or sham treatment. Figures are numbers (percentage) of participants unless stated otherwise
| LIPUS (n=250) | Sham (n=251) | Total (n=501) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 37.1 (13.2) | 39.1 (14.6) | 38.1 (13.9) |
| Women | 81 (32) | 75 (30) | 156 (31) |
| Men | 169 (68) | 176 (70) | 345 (69) |
| Employed before injury | 184 (74) | 184 (73) | 368 (74) |
| Mechanism of injury: | |||
| Motor vehicle crash | 25 (10) | 14 (6) | 39 (8) |
| Motor vehicle crash (pedestrian) | 28 (11) | 30 (12) | 58 (12) |
| Motorcycle crash | 25 (10) | 35 (14) | 60 (12) |
| Crush injury | 7 (3) | 5 (2) | 12 (2) |
| Fall | 84 (34) | 87 (35) | 171 (34) |
| Twist | 25 (10) | 20 (8) | 45 (9) |
| Direct trauma (penetrating) | 0 | 4 (2) | 4 (18) |
| Direct trauma (blunt) | 43 (17) | 33 (13) | 76 (15) |
| Other | 13 (5) | 23 (9) | 36 (7) |
| Current smoker | 79 (32) | 86 (34) | 165 (33) |
| Diabetes*: | |||
| Any | 11 (4) | 19 (8) | 30 (6) |
| Insulin dependent | 7 (3) | 8 (3) | 15 (3) |
| Non-insulin dependent | 4 (2) | 11 (4) | 15 (3) |
| Fracture: | |||
| Open | 58 (23) | 56 (22) | 114 (23) |
| Closed | 192 (77) | 195 (78) | 387 (77) |
| Gustilo classification for open fractures (% of all patients): | |||
| I | 26 (10) | 25 (10) | 51 (10) |
| II | 15 (6) | 19 (8) | 34 (7) |
| IIIA | 15 (6) | 11 (4) | 26 (5) |
| IIIB | 2 (1) | 1 (<1) | 3 (1) |
| Tscherne classification for closed fractures (% of all patients): | |||
| 0 | 64 (26) | 62 (25) | 126 (25) |
| 1 | 110 (44) | 110 (44) | 220 (44) |
| 2 | 16 (6) | 20 (8) | 36 (7) |
| 3 | 2 (1) | 3 (1) | 5 (1) |
| Type of fracture*: | |||
| Comminuted | 57 (23) | 67 (27) | 124 (25) |
| Transverse | 64 (26) | 55 (22) | 119 (24) |
| Oblique | 77 (31) | 77 (31) | 154 (31) |
| Segmental | 6 (2) | 2 (1) | 8 (2) |
| Spiral | 82 (33) | 95 (38) | 177 (35) |
| Type of fixation†: | |||
| Nail with previous reaming | 249 (100) | 249 (99) | 498 (>99) |
| Nail without previous reaming | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 (<1) |
| Adjudicated postoperative fracture gap‡ | 10 (4) | 5 (2) | 15 (3) |
*Categories not mutually exclusive.
†n=500 (249 and 251).
‡n=494 (245 and 249).