Health Outcomes of Elbow Fractures in Iraqi Children and Assessment of Risk Factors

Background: Fractures of the elbow are the most common, accounting for 14 percent of fractures in children.

Objective: We contributed to the evaluation of health findings related to children with elbow fractures and the identification of risk factors and effects on children who participated in this study.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Iraqi paediatric patients with elbow fractures who attended the emergency department of hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. The patients were aged between 5 and 16 years old, and a total of 72 samples were included in the study. This study documented the clinical and demographic outcomes of paediatric patients. A univariate analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors affecting the health status of Iraqi children.

Results: A total of 72 children were included in the study, with the objective of analysing the clinical outcomes of elbow fractures. The age group with the highest number of recorded cases was that of 13- to 16-year-olds, representing 44.44% of the total. There were 47 cases of boys and 25 cases of girls. The most common type of elbow fracture was the supracondylar fracture, which accounted for 47.22% of cases, followed by the right elbow fracture (56.94%) and the left elbow fracture. The most common cause of elbow fractures was identified as falls onto an outstretched arm, accounting for 43.06% of cases. Among the patients who underwent intervention, 40 underwent open reduction, and 32 underwent internal fixation (ORIF). The success rate was 76.39%.

Conclusion: In general, ORIF and CRPP are the best procedures among all others for treating fractures in the elbow of children.