DRAFFT2

A break in the wrist bone is a very common injury. The broken bone is painful and, it the bone doesn't heal in the correct position, the patient may struggle to use their hand normally.

When the broken wrist bone is not in the correct position, surgeons will often recommend that the fracture is 'manipulated'. After the manipulation, the bones need to be held in the correct position while they heal. Surgeons often recommend using metal implants to hold the bone in place while it heals. But, metal implants require patients to have surgery. 

A plaster cast, which is moulded or shaped to support the broken bone, is an alternative way to hold the bones in place. Patients treated with a cast avoid having an operation. But does a moulded plaster cast hold the bones as well as the metal implants?

The DRAFFT2 study was a randomised controlled trial comparing plaster cast with surgical fixation for patients with a wrist fracture. 

• [Main Study Result] 'Surgical fixation with K-wires versus casting in adults with fracture of distal radius: DRAFFT2 multicentre randomised clinical trial' published in BMJ Open
• [Cost-Utility Analysis] 'Cost-utility analysis of surgical fixation with Kirschner wire versus casting after fracture of the distal radius: a health economic evaluation of the DRAFFT2 trial' published in The Bone and Joint Journal
• [Full Trial Report] 'Moulded cast compared with K-wire fixation after manipulation of an acute dorsally displaced distal radius fracture: the DRAFFT 2 RCT' published in NIHR Journals Library
• [Plain English Summary of Study] 'A plaster cast can safely and cost-effectively treat a broken wrist' published in NIHR Evidence
• [Radiological Outcomes] 'Radiological outcomes following surgical fixation with wires versus moulded cast for patients with a dorsally displaced fracture of the distal radius: a radiographic analysis from the DRAFFT2 trial' published in Bone and Joint Open