Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Jan 18, 2024; 15(1): 52-60
Published online Jan 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i1.52
Epidemiologic investigation of pediatric distal humerus fractures: An American insurance claims database study
Kyle Jay Klahs, Jake E Dertinger, Grant T Mello, Kevin Thapa, Alexis B Sandler, E'Stephan J Jesus Garcia, Nata Parnes
Kyle Jay Klahs, Alexis B Sandler, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences-El Paso, El Paso, TX 79905, United States
Jake E Dertinger, Grant T Mello, Medical School, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Clovis, CA 93611, United States
Kevin Thapa, Undergraduate School, Binghampton University, Vestal, NY 13902, United States
E'Stephan J Jesus Garcia, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, TX 79918, United States
Nata Parnes, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Carthage Area Hospital, Carthage, NY 13619, United States
Author contributions: Klahs KJ wrote the manuscript and designed the project; Dertinger JE and Mello GT sorted and analyzed the data, and performed the literature review; Thapa K sorted and analyzed the data; Sandler AB assisted with manuscript formatting and edits; Garcia EJJ and Parnes N provided vision and direction, along with edits.
Institutional review board statement: Not applicable (de-identified database study).
Informed consent statement: Not applicable (de-identified database study).
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
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: Kyle Jay Klahs, DO, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences-El Paso, No. 5001 El Paso Dr, El Paso, TX 79905, United States. kyle.j.klahs@gmail.com
Received: September 11, 2023
Peer-review started: September 11, 2023
First decision: November 23, 2023
Revised: November 28, 2023
Accepted: December 19, 2023
Article in press: December 19, 2023
Published online: January 18, 2024
Processing time: 127 Days and 1.7 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Distal humerus fractures are one of the most common traumatic fractures seen in pediatric patients and present as three main types: Supracondylar (SC), lateral condyle (LC), and medial epicondyle (ME) fractures and as such warrant continued, updated epidemiological evaluation.

Research motivation

The American pediatric population may be physiologically maturing at younger ages as compared to previous generations. This study aimed to look at common pediatric elbow injuries in relation to age and sex.

Research objectives

To explore patient age, sex, injury type, and treatment type for three common distal humerus fractures.

Research methods

A retrospective database review was performed.

Research results

SC fractures were the most reported, followed by LC and finally ME fractures.

Research conclusions

Age is a factor for how a pediatric distal humerus fractures, with patients with SC and LC fractures being younger than those with ME fractures.

Research perspectives

The peak age per injury per sex is similar to reported historic central tendencies, despite reported trends for younger physiologic development.