From Uniformed Services University of Health Science, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD (Dr. Renninger), Samaritan Health Services, Corvallis, OR (Dr. Tedesco), Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, and University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (Dr. Strelzow).
Correspondence to Dr. Renninger: [email protected]
Renninger or an immediate family member serves as a board member, owner, officer, or committee member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Tedesco or an immediate family member has received royalties from Medscape; serves as a board member, owner, officer, or committee member of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society; has stock or stock options held in RomTech and Doctorpedia; and serves on the editorial or governing board of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics. Strelzow or an immediate family member is a member of a speakers’ bureau or has made paid presentations on behalf of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand; serves as a paid consultant to Acumed, LLC; serves as a board member, owner, officer, or committee member of BoneSupport and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association; and serves on the editorial or governing board of the Journal of Hand Surgery - American.
Abstract Associated Multimedia
High-energy extremity trauma rates can be difficult to precisely state given the complexity of contributing combined mechanisms; however, the rate of open fractures in the United States is 11.5 to 13 per 100,000 people. The management of high-energy extremity fractures presents many challenges for treating surgeons, including elevated risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). In recent studies, higher risk closed injuries are associated with deep SSI rates as high as 19% after surgical treatment and for severe open injuries, which rate surpasses 30%. Fracture-related infections are associated with notable costs and decreased long-term functional outcomes. Identified risk factors for the development of deep SSIs are primarily related to the severity of injury and its location. The quality of the vast literature identifying available interventions to decrease the risk of developing SSIs is highly variable, and it is unclear how consistently these interventions are applied.
