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  • A natural experiment study:...
    Lecoultre, Yannic; van de Wall, Bryan J. M; Diwersi, Nadine; Pfarr, Steffen W; Galliker, Beat; Babst, Reto; Link, Björn-Christian; Beeres, Frank J. P

    PloS one, 09/2023, Letnik: 18, Številka: 9
    Journal Article

    Single plate osteosynthesis is commonly employed when performing surgical stabilization of midshaft clavicle fractures. In recent years, a smaller structural low-profile double plating technique has been described as a possible solution for the high removal rates associated with single plating. A previous meta-analysis has demonstrated that low-profile double plating attains the same healing rates as single plating without a higher chance of fracture-related infections. This meta-analysis, however, was based on relatively small studies. Therefore, a multicentre prospective natural experiment was designed using natural variation in treatment regimens and geographical location of the trauma as treatment allocation mechanism to compare both treatments on a larger scale. This manuscript describes its protocol. This study will determine whether low-profile double plating has significant clinical and cost-effective benefits over single plating techniques in midshaft clavicle fractures. The study will also give insight in the performance of a natural experiment study design for orthopedic trauma research.