• Donna M Urquhart, Owen D Williamson, Belinda J Gabbe, Flavia M Cicuttini, Peter A Cameron, Martin D Richardson, Elton R Edwards, and Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry (VOTOR) Project Group.
• Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. donna.urquhart@med.monash.edu.au
• ANZ J Surg. 2006 Jul 1;76(7):600-6.

BackgroundAlthough orthopaedic trauma results in significant disability and substantial financial cost, there is a paucity of large cohort studies that collectively describe the functional outcomes of a variety of these injuries. The current study aimed to investigate the outcomes of patients admitted with a range of orthopaedic injuries to adult Level 1 trauma centres.MethodsPatients were recruited from the Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry (VOTOR), which included all patients with orthopaedic trauma admitted to the two adult Level 1 trauma centres in Victoria (Australia). Patients were categorised into three groups; isolated orthopaedic injuries, multiple orthopaedic injuries and orthopaedic and other injuries. Demographic and injury data were collected from the medical record and hospital/trauma databases, and functional outcome instruments were given at 6 months post-injury.ResultsOf the 1303 patients recruited for VOTOR over a 12-month period, 1181 patients were eligible for the study and a response rate of 75.6% was obtained at 6 months post-injury. Patients reported ongoing pain (moderate-severe: 37.2%), disability (79.5%) and inability to return to work (35.2%). Poorer outcomes were evident in patients with orthopaedic and other injuries than those with single or multiple orthopaedic injuries alone.ConclusionA large percentage of patients have ongoing pain and disability and a reduced capacity to return to work 6 months after orthopaedic trauma. Further research into the long-term outcomes of patients with orthopaedic injuries is required to identify patient subgroups and specific injuries and procedures that result in high morbidity.

25 keywords...

hide…