Increase in surgical fixation of pediatric midshaft clavicle fractures since 2008

Abstract Background Clavicle fractures in children have traditionally been treated non-operatively. In adults, a great increase in operative treatment has been reported. We aimed to analyze the respective trend and potential explanatory factors in children. Methods This is a single-institution retrospective study in a subregion in Northern Finland. The ICD-code S42.0 was used to identify the cases in the hospital registry. Altogether, 214 children, aged 15 mm and a shortening of > 15 mm were associated with the increased risk of surgery but did not change during the study period. Age > 9 years increased the risk of surgery; the mean age increased from 5.5 years (2008–10) to 8.5 years (2017–19). There was a 3.6-fold increase in sports-related fractures (95% CI 7.4 to 26.4). The severity of the fractures did not change. Conclusions There has been an increasing trend in the surgical fixation of pediatric middle shaft clavicle fractures since 2008. The available literature does not support the trend.