Publication:

Comparative study of compound both bone leg fractures managed with versatile antibiotic intramedullary inter locking nailing with external fixator

Background Background Compound fractures of the tibia are more likely to result in non-union and the development of infection because of inadequate blood supply and the absence of soft tissues in the antero-medial side of the tibia. Whether to undertake a primary fixation or a staged fixation is still a difficult decision to make in situations like these. Hence, we performed this study to compare the clinical, functional and radiological outcome of compound both bone leg fractures managed with Versatile Antibiotic Intramedullary Interlocking Nailing system and external fixator.

Methods This is a Prospective comparative study performed on all patients admitted with compound fractures (Grade 1,2,3A,3B) of both bone leg fractures in the Department of Orthopaedics at a tertiary care center. Thorough wound debridement was done layer by layer after adequate extension of the wound. Fracture ends were debrided, thorough wound wash given with Reamer Irrigation Aspiration system (RIA).

Results In our study, there is a significant association between the time delay of surgery and post operative infection (p value 0.008). In our study, average time from admission to surgery was 20.9 hours in group A vs group B (21.81 hours).

Conclusions The final outcome in our study mainly depended on wound debridement and thorough pulsatile lavage and early intervention (VAIL Nailing), earlier the surgery better the outcome.