Table 1. Baseline Demographics and Clinical Characteristicsa.
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgery (n = 38) |
Bracing (n = 44) |
Declined cohort (n = 42) |
|
| Age at allocation, mean (SD) [range], y | 49.6 (18.2) [19-81] | 48.4 (16.2) [19-80] | 44.6 (17.3) [20-83] |
| Women | 18 (47.4) | 20 (45.5) | 16 (38.1) |
| Men | 20 (52.6) | 24 (54.5) | 26 (61.9) |
| Weight, mean (SD), kg | 83.5 (21.2) | 85.0 (15.6) | 84.4 (17.2) |
| Height, mean (SD), cm | 173 (9) | 174 (9) | 175 (10) |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 27.7 (5.9) | 28.1 (4.1) | 27.4 (4.4) |
| Smokers | 12 (31.6) | 9 (20.4) | 10 (23.8) |
| Radial nerve palsyb | 3 (7.9) | 2 (4.5) | 3 (7.1) |
| AO/OTA classification, type | |||
| A (simple) | 34 (89.5) | 36 (81.8) | 30 (68.2) |
| B (wedge fragment) | 4 (10.5) | 7 (15.9) | 11 (25.0) |
| C (segmental) | 0 | 1 (2.3) | 1 (2.2) |
| Fracture location, shaftc | |||
| Proximal | 2 (5.3) | 5 (11.4) | 2 (4.8) |
| Mid | 35 (92.1) | 37 (84.1) | 32 (76.2) |
| Distal | 1 (2.6) | 2 (4.5) | 8 (19.0) |
| Injury mechanismd | |||
| Low energy | 34 (89.5) | 38 (86.4) | 38 (90.5) |
| High energy | 4 (10.5) | 6 (13.6) | 4 (9.5) |
| Dominant limb injured | 20 (52.6) | 18 (40.9) | 22 (52.4) |
| Preinjury DASH scoree | |||
| Median (IQR) | 0.0 (0.0-2.5) | 0.4 (0.0-2.5) | 0.4 (0.0-1.9) |
| Optional work module, mean (SD)f | 0 | 0.2 (1.2) | 0.2 (1.2) |
| No. | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Optional sports or performing arts module, mean (SD)f | 0 | 0.3 (1.4) | 1.0 (3.4) |
| No. | 23 | 19 | 26 |
| Preinjury 15D score, mean (SD)g | 0.95 (0.05) | 0.94 (0.05) | 0.94 (0.09) |
Abbreviations: AO/OTA, AO Foundation and Orthopaedic Trauma Association16; BMI, body mass index, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; DASH, Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand; IQR, interquartile range.
Patients are included in the surgery and bracing groups as they were randomized.
Patients were categorized having radial nerve palsy when subtotal or total motor palsy was noted. Normal function, mild motor weakness, or sensory disturbance was categorized as no radial nerve palsy. Patients were stratified according to radial nerve status.
Fracture location is defined by the third of the diaphysis where the center of the fracture is located.
Injury mechanism is classified as high energy if the height of fall was over standing height or if the fracture was sustained in a traffic accident.
Widely used assessment and validated 30-item tool assessing upper-extremity symptoms in daily life (range, 0 [none] to 100 [extreme disability]). Values lower than 10 points represent a mean value in a randomly selected population aged between 20 and 60 years. Ten points is generally regarded as a minimal clinically important difference in DASH score.
Optional modules comprise 4 questions assessing the effect on work, sports, or performing arts (range, 0 [none] to 100 [extreme disability]). Ten points or lower indicate minimal limitations on performance, at most.
The 15-dimensional instrument is a generic health-related quality-of-life instrument (range, 1 [full health] to 0 [death]). Values higher than 0.9 are comparable with randomly selected Finnish population aged 30 years or older. At baseline the patient was asked to report the situation just before the fracture.