A Case Series of Surgically Treated Distal Radius Fractures: Implant Costs and Their Effect on Patient Outcomes

Introduction:Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are common injuries, warranting a need to analyze the cost of treatment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of implant costs on patient-reported outcomes in DRFs.Methods:A PRO registry was retrospectively reviewed for isolated, surgically treated DRF patients. A total of 140 patients met criteria to be included in this study. Implant cost was obtained from the chargemaster database.Results:The average total implant cost was $1,289.67 & PLUSMN; 215.32. The average Patient-rated Wrist Evaluation scores preoperatively, at 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks were 70.8 & PLUSMN; 20.1, 36.6 & PLUSMN; 21.1, and 22.8 & PLUSMN; 18.0, respectively. No statistically significant relationships were observed between cost and Patient-rated Wrist Evaluation scores at 6 weeks or 12 weeks (r = -0.05, P = 0.59; r = -0.04, P = 0.64, respectively). Implant costs were shown to not be affected by fracture complexity (AO/OTA classification: 23A = $1,335.50, 23B = $1,246.86, and 23C = $1,293.14).Discussion:The total cost of implants did not influence patient outcomes indicating that patients receive no additional benefit from more costly constructs.