Pelvic Ring Fractures in Older Adult Patients-Assessing Physician Practice Variation among (Orthopedic) Trauma Surgeons

Purpose: Pelvic fractures in older adults are a major public health problem and socioeconomic burden. The standard of care has changed over the past years, and there is limited consensus on which patients benefit from surgical fixation. There is currently no nationwide treatment protocol to guide the decision-making process. Therefore, the aim of this survey was to provide more insight into if, when, and why patients with a fragility fracture of the pelvis (FFPs) would be considered for additional imaging and surgical fixation by treating physicians. Methods: An online clinical vignette-based survey of hypothetical scenarios was sent out to all orthopedic and trauma surgeons in the Netherlands. The questionnaire comprised multiple-choice questions and radiographic images. Differences between subgroups were calculated using the X2 test or the Fisher exact test. Results: 169 surgeons responded to the survey, with varying levels of experience and working in different types of hospitals. In a patient with a simple pubic ramus fracture and ASA 2 or ASA 4, 32% and 18% of the respondents would always advise a CT scan for further analysis. In the same patients, 11% and 31% of the respondents would not advise a CT scan, respectively. When presented with three cases of increasing severity of co-morbidity (ASA) and/or increasing age and/or different clinical presentation of an FFP type 3c on a CT scan, an increasing number of respondents would not consider surgical fixation. There was significant variation in practice patterns between the respondents who do not work in a hospital performing pelvic and acetabular (P&A) fracture surgery and those who do work in a P&A referral hospital. Most respondents (77%) refer patients 1-5 times a year to an expert center for surgical fixation. Conclusion: There is currently a wide variety of clinical practices regarding the imaging and management of FFPs, which seems to be influenced by the type of hospital the patients are presented to. A regional or national evidence-based treatment protocol should be implemented to ensure a more uniform approach.

Automated summary

This study examined the clinical practices of orthopedic and trauma surgeons in the Netherlands regarding the imaging and surgical fixation of pelvic fractures in older adults. The results showed significant variation in practice patterns, which seemed to be influenced by the type of hospital the patients were presented to. It is suggested that a regional or national treatment protocol should be implemented to ensure a more uniform approach.