J Korean Med Sci.  2017 Jul;32(7):1181-1186. 10.3346/jkms.2017.32.7.1181.

National Surgical Trends for Distal Radius Fractures in Korea

• Jo YH
• Lee BG
• Kim JH
• Lee CH
• Kim SJ
• Choi WS
• Koo JW
• Lee KH

• KMID: 2379615
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2017.32.7.1181

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate national surgical trends for distal radius fractures (DRFs) in Korea and analyze healthcare institution type-specific surgical trends. We analyzed a nationwide database acquired from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from 2011 to 2015. International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes and procedure codes were used to identify patients aged ≥ 20 years with newly diagnosed DRFs. A total of 459,388 DRFs occurred from 2011 to 2015. The proportion of DRF cases treated by surgery tended to increase over time, from 32.6% in 2011 to 38.3% in 2015 (P < 0.001). Open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) using a plate steadily gained in popularity each year, increasing from 39.2% of overall surgeries in 2011 to 60.9% in 2015. The type of surgery for DRFs differed depending on the type of healthcare institution. ORIF (91%) was the most popular procedure in tertiary hospitals, whereas percutaneous pinning (58%) was most popular in clinics. In addition, general hospitals and hospitals with 30-100 beds used external fixation more frequently than tertiary hospitals and clinics did. Overall, our findings indicate that surgical treatment of DRF, particularly ORIF, continues to increase, and that the component ratio of operation codes differed according to the healthcare institution type.

Keyword

Distal Radius Fracture; Epidemiology; Surgery; Trend

MeSH Terms

Delivery of Health Care
Epidemiology
Hospitals, General
Humans
Insurance, Health
International Classification of Diseases
Korea*
Radius Fractures*
Radius*
Tertiary Care Centers

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Proportion of surgical treatment in patients with DRFs, by year. DRF = distal radius fracture.

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  Fig. 2 Proportion of operation type in patients with DRFs, by year. DRF = distal radius fracture, ORIF = open reduction with internal fixation.

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  Fig. 3 Proportion of DRFs patients who underwent surgical treatment, by health care institution type. DRF = distal radius fracture.

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  Fig. 4 Proportion of operation type in patients with DRFs, by health care institution type. DRF = distal radius fracture, ORIF = open reduction with internal fixation.

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