Retrospective Cohort Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Mar 18, 2024; 15(3): 215-229
Published online Mar 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i3.215
Peri-articular elbow fracture fixations with magnesium implants and a review of current literature: A case series
Christopher Fang, Antony Xavier Rex Premchand, Derek Howard Park, Dong Hao Toon
Christopher Fang, Antony Xavier Rex Premchand, Derek Howard Park, Dong Hao Toon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National Healthcare Group, Singapore 768828, Singapore
Author contributions: Fang C contributed to data collection, statistical analysis and drafting of manuscript; Premchand A and Park DH contributed to invaluable guidance and providing post-operative care and documentation for post-operative patients; Toon DH contributed to performing the surgeries for the patients and overseeing all work on the original article.
Institutional review board statement: Our study was approved by our institutions local domain specific review board prior to commencement. All ethical protocols were followed.
Informed consent statement: As the study was retrospective and anonymous, no formal informed consent was deemed necessary and this was waived. Informal consent and verbal consent was documented in our hospitals electronic records system as her instruction by our IRB.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: All data collection and sharing was performed according to the methodology set out in the domain specific review board application.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Christopher Fang, MBBS, MMed, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National Healthcare Group, 90 Yishun Central, Singapore 768828, Singapore. chrisfang91@gmail.com
Received: December 3, 2023
Peer-review started: December 3, 2023
First decision: January 6, 2024
Revised: January 11, 2024
Accepted: February 2, 2024
Article in press: February 2, 2024
Published online: March 18, 2024
Processing time: 103 Days and 4.2 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Larger trials such as randomized control trials with larger patient numbers should be conducted.

Research motivation

Bio-absorbable magnesium screws can be used in peri-articular fractures of the elbow.

Research objectives

All fractures healed successfully and no patient required removal of implants or suffered any major complications.

Research methods

Our paper was based on a retrospective case series design. Intra-operatively, a standardized surgical technique was utilized for insertion of the magnesium implants. Post – operatively, clinic visits were standardized and physical exam findings, functional scores, and radiographs were obtained at each visit. All complications were recorded.

Research results

Our findings will help clinicians in two main areas. Firstly, clinicians considering using the implant for their patients have a detailed case series to refer to. Secondly, clinicians considering research on the topic have a large sample size (relative to the existing literature) to aid in conducting future studies especially systematic reviews or meta–analysis.

Research conclusions

To ascertain if bio-asborbable magnesium screws are clinically efficaceous in treating peri-articular elbow fractures.

Research perspectives

Magnesium screws are gaining popularity in orthopaedic trauma surgery. No case series has been published documenting its use in peri-articular fractures of the elbow.