Delays to fracture stabilization and the effect on postoperative outcomes: A retrospective cohort study of 211 canine humeral condylar fractures.

Minimizing surgical delay in canine humeral condylar fractures significantly improves radiographic reduction and patient outcomes.

This retrospective cohort study investigated the impact of surgical delay on outcomes following humeral condylar fracture (HCF) repair in 211 fractures across 204 dogs. Data collected from medical records included time-to-surgery, immediate postoperative radiographic findings, complications, and short-term outcomes at a minimum 28-day follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model associations between variables. A key systemic finding was that fractures occurring on Fridays or Saturdays were significantly associated with longer delays to surgery, highlighting a weekend effect in veterinary surgical scheduling. Each additional day of surgical delay was associated with a 3.86-fold increased odds of poor radiographic reduction, defined as an intracondylar gap or articular step defect on immediate postoperative radiographs. Poor radiographic reduction was in turn associated with a 5.92-fold increased odds of postoperative complications and significantly reduced likelihood of a favorable short-term outcome (OR 0.13). Postoperative complications themselves were independently associated with poorer short-term outcomes (OR 0.38). These findings establish a clear cascade: surgical delay leads to suboptimal fracture reduction, which increases complication risk and worsens patient outcomes. The authors suggest that system-level interventions, such as prioritizing weekend surgical access and optimizing scheduling protocols for HCF cases, could serve as meaningful quality improvement measures. This study provides important evidence that HCFs should be considered time-sensitive surgical cases requiring prompt intervention to maximize the likelihood of accurate reduction and favorable outcomes.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.