Evaluation of complications in patients with open fractures of the upper and lower extremity treated with internal fixation after the external fixation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Open fractures constitute an important mortality and morbidity cause among all musculoskeletal system injuries and bring along many social and economic problems. The cost occurring due to both long treatment duration and the delay in returning to work made these conditions more complicated. The present study aims to evaluate of the complications which may occur in cases with an application of internal fixation following external fixator in upper and lower extremity open fractures retrospectively.

METHODS: Forty-nine patients, who applied to the emergency service between 2007 and 2013, participated in this study. Thirty-two of these patients consisted of the patients to whom external fixator was first placed, and then internal fixation was performed by us, while 17 patients were treated in another center with the external fixator, and then their treatments were performed by us. All patients' injury mechanism, duration of follow-up with an external fixator, whether debridement was performed after external fixator, the period between external fixation and internal fixation, pin site infection, duration of the union, delayed union, nonunion, whether bone graft was used during internal fixation, internal fixation type, reoperation, development of osteomyelitis and follow-up parameters were recorded.

RESULTS: Results were evaluated separately for radius, humerus, tibia and femur fractures. Of the 49 patients, 39 were male, and 10 were female. Mean follow-up time for tibia 28.6 months, for femur 34, for humerus 26.9, for Radius 27 months. Of the 49 patients who participated in this study, 15 applied with upper extremity (11 humeri, 4 Radius) injury and 34 applied with lower extremity (25 tibias, 9 femora) injury. Of the 49 patients, 32 had pin tract infection, 11 had nonunion, 11 had delayed union, two had osteomyelitis.

CONCLUSION: Open fractures are always hard to treat. After external fixation to the internal fixation process have some complications, phsycians should be aware of all these problems and plan according to the situation.