Location of treatment of supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children.

Abstract

A change in the locations where children are treated for supracondylar fractures of the humerus has occurred during the past 13 years. Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at specialist centers are seeing an increased number of such fractures. In New England, the number of supracondylar fractures of the humerus treated by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning has remained relatively constant between 1991 and 1999 with a range of 276 to 346 fractures per year, averaging 320 per year. In 1991, 63% of patients were treated by general orthopaedic surgeons in a nonspecialist setting. By 1999, 68% of the fractures were treated at centers with pediatric orthopaedic specialists available whereas only 32% were treated in a general orthopaedic setting. Associated with this change is a decreased length of stay from 2.2 (+/- 0.6) days in nonspecialist centers to 1.4 (+/- 0.4) days average in specialist centers.