Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Risk Factors and Consequences of Lower Extremity Fracture Nonunions in Veterans With Spinal Cord Injury.

Sinnott B, Ray C, Weaver F, Gonzalez B, Chu E, Premji S, Raiford M, Elam R, Miskevics S, Parada S, Carbone L. Risk Factors and Consequences of Lower Extremity Fracture Nonunions in Veterans With Spinal Cord Injury. JBMR plus. 2022 Mar 1; 6(3):e10595.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

We used Veterans Health Administration (VHA) national administrative data files to identify a cohort (fiscal years 2005-2014) of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCID) to determine risk factors for and consequences of lower extremity fracture nonunions. Odds ratios (OR) for fracture nonunion were computed using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models. We identified three risk factors for nonunion: (i) older age (OR  =  2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-4.33), (ii) longer duration of SCID (OR  =  1.02; 95% CI 1.00-1.04), and (iii) fracture site (distal femur), with OR (comparison distal femur) including distal tibia/fibula (OR  =  0.14; 95% CI 0.09-0.24), proximal tibia/fibula (OR  =  0.19; 95% CI 0.09-0.38), proximal femur (OR  =  0.10; 95% CI 0.04-0.21), and hip (OR  =  0.13; 95% CI 0.07-0.26). Nonunions resulted in multiple complications, with upwards of 1/3 developing a pressure injury, 13% osteomyelitis, and almost 25% requiring a subsequent amputation. Our data have identified a high-risk population for fracture nonunion of older veterans with a long duration of SCID who sustain a distal femur fracture. In view of the serious complications of these nonunions, targeted interventions in these high-risk individuals who have any signs of delayed union should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.