Buried versus unburied Kirschner wires in the management of paediatric lateral condyle elbow fractures: a comparative study from a tertiary centre.
There is little consensus on whether Kirschner wire (K-wire) burial is preferable in the management of paediatric lateral humeral condyle fractures. We identified 124 patients from May 2008 to August 2014. Sixty received buried K-wires and 64 received unburied wires. We found no significant difference in the infection rates between groups, but a high rate of skin erosion (23%) in the buried group, with a subsequent high rate of infection in this subgroup (40%). We found a strong association of wire erosion following early surgery. There is a considerable cost saving associated with using unburied wires. We therefore recommend the routine use of unburied wires.
Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Neal M
NM
Ormsby
Roger D M
RD
Walton
Simon
S
Robinson
Stephen
S
Brookes-Fazakerly
Fernando Yuen
FY
Chang
Lorcan
L
McGonagle
David
D
Wright
D001864:Bone Wires; D002648:Child; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D000092464:Elbow Injuries