ABSTRACT
Non-operative management is the mainstay of treatment for most fractures of the clavicle in elderly patients. Clavicle fractures, particularly those associated with higher energy trauma, are commonly associated with other injuries. The presence of a clavicle fracture may be a particular sign of associated injuries and subsequent poor outcomes in higher energy geriatric trauma patients. Anteroposterior radiographs of the clavicle are sufficient to diagnose clavicle fractures and should be performed in all elderly patients complaining of shoulder pain after trauma. Non-operative management remains the mainstay of treatment for all non-displaced or minimally displaced fractures of both the midshaft and distal clavicle in elderly patients. There is a general belief that outcomes following management of displaced clavicle fractures in adults and elderly patients are in general much less satisfactory than in the young. If surgery is chosen, several devices are available for the management of midshaft clavicle fractures, including non-locking plates, locking plates, pre-contoured plates and intramedullary devices.
