Hand K-wire Infections in Operating Room Versus Ambulatory Setting

K-wire Infections in Operating Room Sterility Versus Ambulatory Setting Field Sterility: A Prospective Cohort Study

The main objective of this non-interventional, observational study is to analyze the rate and type of infection complications while performing closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF) of hand fractures in the operating room versus an ambulatory setting. The investigators will do so by prospectively collecting data on the type of fracture, handedness, co-morbidities, duration of treatment, number and type of K-wires, duration of fixation and complication rate. Patients presenting with hand fractures to the emergency room will be recruited. Patients will be recruited in multiple centres across Canada and managed according to the institutional standard. The complication type and rate will be recorded and analyzed to determine a difference of performing the procedure in the operating room or clinical setting.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hand Fracture; Infection Due to Internal Fixation Pin
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Closed Reduction Internal Fixation

Detailed Description

The main objective of this study is to analyze the rate and type of infectious complications while performing closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF) of hand fractures in the operating room versus an ambulatory setting. The investigators will do so by prospectively collecting data into a hand fracture database, recording the type of fracture, handedness, co-morbidities, duration of treatment, number of K-wires, duration of fixation and complication rate. These will be recorded on a data collection form, which will be transcribed into a password protected excel spread sheet by Dr. Lalonde. The data will be de-identified and the patients will be assigned a number to place on the data collection sheet depending on order of presentation. The investigators will include all adult patients presenting with a metacarpal or phalangeal that is amenable to CRIF with K-wires.

The investigators will recruit patients prospectively from the emergency room or clinic referrals. All patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be asked to participate by the attending surgeon or resident. The patients will be assigned a number according to chronological presentation. The patients will be recruited from academic centers in Canada. Three centers, Halifax, Toronto and McMaster, do not perform CRIF with K-wires in a clinical setting and thus will represent the main operating room cohort. The clinical setting CRIF cohort will be comprised of patients from St. John, Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver and St John's where CRIF of hand fractures are routinely performed under local anaesthetic and field sterility. The characteristics of the injury, fracture, timing of injury, patient comorbidities which predispose to infections, handedness, smoking status, sex and age will be recorded.

All procedures in the operating room or the clinic area will be performed under the anaesthetic that is standard in that center. A procedure will be deemed "field sterility" if the usual surgical preparation of povidone-iodine or isopropyl alcohol-chlorohexidine gluconate and sterile drape is performed with sterile gloves and masks but without surgical gowns. In the outpatient clinic area, a basic tray will be used along with the K-wire driver and wire-cutters. A mini C-arm fluoroscopy machine is used to visualize the reduction and placement of the K-wires. The patients will then be dressed with a non-antibiotic containing dressing and splinted. The surgical information such as number and type of K-wires, OR time, type of anaesthesia, place of operation, and antibiotic use will be recorded. There will be no additional pin site care offered, as there is no standard accepted method to decrease pin-tract infection. They will be followed up as per the local protocol.

The patients will be instructed that if they are concerned regarding a complication or infection that they must present to their attending surgeon or other plastic surgery colleague covering outpatient calls. They will be provided a contact number for after hours. The necessity to contact the attending team will be stressed to improve documentation of complications and ensure that the proper diagnosis of an infection will be made and appropriate antibiotic coverage started. If the patient is to present to the emergency department or family physician, improper antibiotic coverage may be started for a patient presenting with normal wound healing, which will falsely elevate the incidence of recorded hand infections. The patient will be followed until K-wire removal around 3 to 4 weeks, as per local protocol, and the duration of K-wire fixation will be recorded along with any complications.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 1042

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4L7
      • Univeristy of Calgary
  • British Columbia
    • New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
      • Fraser Health
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7L 2P9
      • Lion's Gate Hospital
  • Manitoba
    • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
      • University of Manitoba
  • New Brunswick
    • Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2L 4L4
      • Horizon Health Network
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
    • St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1B 3V6
      • Memorial University
  • Nova Scotia
    • Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
      • St. Martha's Regional Hospital
    • Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H3A7
      • Dalhousie University
  • Ontario
    • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8P 3A9
      • McMaster University
    • Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1Y 4E9
      • Univeristy of Ottawa
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
      • University of Toronto
  • Quebec
    • Montréal, Quebec, Canada
      • McGill University
    • Montréal, Quebec, Canada
      • University of Montreal
    • Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
      • Saint-Hyacinthe
• Philippines
  • Quezon City, Philippines
    • Philippine Orthopedic Center, Ma. Clara Corner Banawe Street

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients who present to the emergency department or Plastic Surgery clinic after a hand trauma causing a metacarpal or phalangeal fracture.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult patients presenting with an acute metacarpal or phalangeal fracture amenable to closed reduction and percutaneous pinning.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Fractures that cannot be reduced in a closed manner necessitating open reduction internal fixation
2. Multiple fractures or significant injury requiring ORIF by other means - such as plate fixation
3. Existing infection
4. Pathologic fracture
5. CRIF performed during replantation or revascularization of digit
6. Concomitant injury (tendon injury, nerve injury, soft tissue loss requiring reconstructive procedure such as graft or flap)
7. Other disease according to investigator's judgment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
CRIF in operating room; Patients who present with a hand fracture amendable to closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF) who are managed in the operating room.	Procedure: Closed Reduction Internal Fixation; K-wires placed percutaneously through the skin to achieve fixation of a hand after reduction of the fracture in a closed manner.
CRIF outside of operating room; Patients who present with a hand fracture amendable to closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF) who are managed outside of the operating room (i.e.: in clinical setting, the emergency department or minor procedures area).	Procedure: Closed Reduction Internal Fixation; K-wires placed percutaneously through the skin to achieve fixation of a hand after reduction of the fracture in a closed manner.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Infection rate post closed reduction internal fixation	The rate of infections after K-wire fixation of hand fractures. K-wire infection will be diagnosed if two of the three following criteria are met: i) surrounding cellulitis greater than 5mm of diameter around K wire site (more than normal inflammation) ii) purulent drainage from the pin site and iii) bacteriologic evidence of infection (ie: positive cultures). X-ray evidence of osteomyelitis will also be considered for diagnosis of late infection.	12 weeks post fixation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Complication rate post closed reduction internal fixation	The rate of other complications after K-wire fixation of hand fractures. These include issues such as malunion and nonunion.	12 weeks post fixation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Horizon Health Network
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Donald Lalonde, MD, Horizon Health Network

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 29, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 29, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): September 29, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 12, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 12, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): August 17, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 17, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 16, 2022
• Last Verified: March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: outpatient versus operating room; k wire infection; closed reduction internal fixation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Infections; Communicable Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: HHN-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: Patient information will be recorded using a corresponding number based on their order of presentation. The data will be presented or published as an average of all patients in the study.