Table 4.

Complications following non-operative versus surgical management in all study patients.

	Non-operative	Surgical	p overall
n	44	132
Fixation failure (%)
No	44 (100.0)	107 (81.1)	0.004
Yes	0 (0.0)	25 (18.9)
Loss of reduction only (%)
No	44 (100.0)	131 (99.2)	1
Yes	0 (0.0)	1 (0.8)
Non-operative management (%)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	–
Surgical management (%)	0 (0.0)	1 (0.8)	1
Metalwork loosening only (%)
No	44 (100.0)	110 (83.3)	0.008
Yes	0 (0.0)	22 (16.7)
Non-operative management (%)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	-
Surgical management (%)	0 (0.0)	22 (16.7)	0.008
Both loss of reduction and metal work loosening (%)
No	44 (100.0)	130 (98.5)	1
Yes	0 (0.0)	2 (1.5)
Non-operative management (%)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	–
Surgical management (%)	0 (0.0)	2 (1.5)	1
Other complication (%)
No	39 (88.6)	119 (90.2)	0.045
Yes	2 (4.5)	12 (9.1)
Unknown	3 (6.8)	1 (0.8)
Other complication details (%)
Conversion to ORIF	0 (0.0)	1 (8.3)	0.082
SSI	0 (0.0)	3 (25.0)
Humeral fracture	1 (50.0)	0 (0.0)
Malunion	1 (50.0)	0 (0.0)
Nonunion	0 (0.0)	1 (8.3)
Periprosthetic fracture	0 (0.0)	1 (8.3)
Stiffness	0 (0.0)	1 (8.3)
Wound dehiscence	0 (0.0)	3 (25.0)
In hospital death (%)
No	40 (90.9)	130 (98.5)	0.055
Yes	4 (9.1)	2 (1.5)

SD: standard deviation; ORIF: open reduction and internal fixation; TBW: tension band wire; SSI: surgical site infection.

– indicates no test performed.

All values represent numbers of cases and proportion in parentheses unless otherwise stated. Fixation failure describes total number of cases where loss of reduction or metal work loosening or both loss of reduction and metal work loosening occur.