The clavicle is the only long bone oriented horizontally in the body, serving as the strut that connects the shoulder girdle to the axial skeleton at the sternoclavicular joint medially and the acromioclavicular joint laterally. It is the most commonly fractured bone.
The most commonly fractured bone in children and one of the most common in adults, with middle-third fractures at the S-curve junction occurring in over 80 percent. The subclavian vein posterior to the medial clavicle is accessed for central venous catheterisation with pneumothorax risk. Neurovascular injury from displaced fractures includes subclavian vessel and brachial plexus injury. Most fractures heal conservatively with a sling; surgical plating reduces non-union and improves outcomes in displaced mid-shaft fractures.
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