Venous perfusion assist system has no additional effect compared to simple elevation on post-operative edema in patients with distal radial fracture treated with volar locking plate fixation: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: While limb elevation and other methods for reducing hand edema are commonly used in clinical practice, alternative methods, such as compression and venous perfusion assist system (VPAS), have emerged. This study compared the efficacy of VPAS to limb elevation in decreasing hand edema after surgery for distal radial fracture (DRF) treated by a volar locking plate (VLP). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 102 patients to compare VPAS and elevation methods for edema reduction following VLP fixation for DRF. Changes in edema were measured using the tape measure method along with other parameters on the next day and at one, three, six, and 12 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in edema reduction or other factors between the VPAS and elevation groups at any measurement point. CONCLUSIONS: VPAS appears to confer no measurable advantage over management with elevation for edema reduction after VLP fixation of DRF. TRIALS REGISTRY: This study was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000015640).