Purpose: Traumatic digit amputations have an adverse impact on patients’ daily living. Despite experts advocating for digit replantation, studies have shown a continued decrease in rate of replantation. We performed a national-level investigation to examine the recent trend of practice for digital replantation. Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample database under the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to select adult patients with traumatic digit amputation from 2001 to 2014.We calculated the rate of attempted and rate of successful digit replantation per year, subcategorizing for digit type (thumb or finger) and for hospital type (rural, urban non-teaching, or urban teaching). We also analyzed the pattern of distribution of case volume to each hospital type per year. We used two multivariable logistic regression models to investigate patient demographic and hospital characteristics associated with the odds of replantation attempt and success. Results: Among the 14,872 adult patients with a single digit amputation from 2001 to 2014, only 1,670 (11.2%) underwent replantation. The rate of replantation attempt trended down over the years for both thumb and finger injuries at all hospital types, despite increasing proportions of cases being sent to urban teaching hospitals where they were more than twice as likely to undergo replantation. The rate of successful replantation stayed stable for thumb at 82.9% and increased for fingers from 76.1% to 82.4% over the years. Patients were more likely to undergo replantation if they had private insurance or had a higher level of income. Neither hospital case volume nor hospital type were predictive of successful replantation. Conclusions: Although more single digit amputations were treated by urban teaching hospitals with higher likelihood to replant, the downward trend in rate of attempt regardless of hospital type demonstrates that concentration of case volume is not the solution to reverse the declining trend.

IMPORTANCE The value of precise anatomic restoration for distal radius fractures (DRFs) in older adults has been debated for many decades, with conflicting results in the literature. In light of the growing population of adults aged 60 years and older, both fracture incidence and associated treatment costs are expected to increase. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between radiographic measures of reduction and patient outcomes after DRF in older patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Data were collected from the Wrist and Radius Injury Surgical Trial (WRIST), a multicenter randomized clinical trial of DRF treatments for adults aged 60 years and older (enrollment from April 10, 2012, to December 31, 2016, with a 2-year follow-up). Data analysis was performed from January 3, 2019, to August 19, 2019. WRIST participants who completed 12-month assessments were included in the study. According to the biomechanical principle of alignment, 2-phase multivariable regression models were adopted to assess the association between radiographic measures of reduction and functional and patient-reported outcomes 12 months following treatment. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized to receive volar locking plate, percutaneous pinning, or external fixation. Those who opted for nonoperative treatment received casts. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Hand grip strength, wrist arc of motion, radial deviation, ulnar deviation, the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) total score, MHQ function score, and MHQ activities of daily living score were measured at 12 months following treatment. RESULTS Data from 166 WRIST participants (144 [86.7%] women; mean [SD] age, 70.9 [8.9] years) found that only 2 of the 84 correlation coefficients calculated were statistically significant. For patients aged 70 years or older, every degree increase in radial inclination away from normal (22°) grip strength in the injured hand was 1.1 kg weaker than the uninjured hand (95% CI, 0.38-1.76; P = .004) and each millimeter increase toward normal (0 mm) in ulnar variance was associated with a 10.4-point improvement in MHQ ADL score (95% CI, −16.84 to −3.86; P = .003). However, neither of these radiographic parameters appeared to be associated with MHQ total or function scores. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The study results suggest that precise restoration of wrist anatomy is not associated with better patient outcomes for older adults with DRF 12 months following treatment. Surgeons can consider this evidence to improve quality of care by prioritizing patient preferences and efficient use of resources over achieving exact realignment. (continued) Key Points Question What is the association between radiographic measures of reduction and patient outcomes 12 months after distal radius fractures treatment for adults aged 60 years or older? Findings This secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical trial on distal radius fractures treatment options included 166 patients who completed 12-month assessments. Radiographic parameters were not assoc...

The variability in reported outcomes and outcome measures used in digit replantation makes it difficult to compare results among studies. This article reviews the principles of measuring functional and patient reported outcomes after replantation, and describes the recommended instruments to use and ways to report results. Outcome values found in the literature are also presented.

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