Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the interobserver agreement of two classifications for floating knee: Fraser and Blake & McBryde.
Method
Thirty-two observers, subdivided according to the degree of titration (26 resident physicians and 6 orthopedic physicians specialized in orthopedic trauma), classified 15 fractures of the ipsilateral femur and tibia. Interobserver agreement was evaluated by using the Kappa coefficient.
Result
When evaluating the agreement between the 9 R1, a Kappa index of 0.58 was obtained for the Fraser classification and of 0.46 for the Blake & McBryde classification. Among the 7 R2, a rate of 0.59 was obtained for the Fraser rating and 0.51 for the Blake & McBryderating. Among the 10 R3, theagreement index was higher for both classifications: 0.72 for the Fraser and 0.71 for the Blake & McBryde classification. Considering the 3 groups (R1, R2, R3) as one large group, the general Kappa index was calculated, which resulted in 0.63for the Fraser classification and 0.56 for the Blake & McBryde classification. In the group of traumaand orthopedic knee specialists, in turn, an agreement of 0.597 was obtained for the Blake and McBryde classification and of 0.843 for the Fraser classification.
Conclusion
Comparatively, the two classifications presented a weak to moderate degree of agreement. Fraser classification had better agreement in both groups. The agreement was higher when evaluating orthopedic trauma physicians.
Keywords:
tibia fractures/ classification; validation studies; evaluation