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The treatment of open and contaminated fractures

The Royal London Hospital, London E1 1BB, UK

SPF Hughes

Imperial College School of Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital, London W6, UK

The treatment of any open fracture should follow a logical sequence extending from injury to final rehabilitation. In the past, open fractures were usually sustained in armed conflicts and treated by military surgeons. Currently, the majority of open fractures are sustained as the result of motor vehicle accidents, but the management principles developed in the past are the same. The initial treatment should start in the resuscitation room using trauma resuscitation protocols. Once the patient is stable and any immediately life-threatening injuries treated, the wound should be debrided as early as possible and the skeleton stabilized. The wound is re-inspected 48 h later, and at that stage plans for definitive soft tissue cover can be made. Once soft tissue cover has been obtained, rehabilitation of the whole patient can start. Delayed union or bone loss should be aggressively treated to limit functional deficit and subsequent morbidity.

Key Words: trauma • open fracture • debridement • skeletal stabilization • soft tissue cover

Trauma, Vol. 1, No. 3, 207-214 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/146040869900100304


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