scholarly journals Risk Factors for Wound Complications After Ankle Fracture Surgery

2012 ◽  
Vol 94 (22) ◽  
pp. 2047-2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam G Miller ◽  
Andrew Margules ◽  
Steven M Raikin
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham Saleh ◽  
Sanjit Konda ◽  
Adam Driesman ◽  
John Stranix ◽  
Catherine Ly ◽  
...  

Background. The incidence and risk factors of wound-healing complications following rotational ankle fracture surgery are well documented in the literature. However, there is a paucity regarding management options following these complications. The goal of this study was to provide a descriptive analysis of one surgeon’s experience managing wound complications in patients who have undergone ankle fracture surgery. Methods. A total of 215 patients who were operatively treated for an unstable ankle were retrospectively identified. Patient demographics, medical histories, initial injury characteristics, surgical interventions, and clinical follow-up were collected. Twenty-five of these patients developed postoperative wound problems. Results. Of the original cohort of 215 patients, 25 (11.6%) developed wound-healing complications. Their average age was 53.6 ± 18.0 years; there were 12 males (48.0%). Connective tissue/inflammatory disease (odds ratio [OR] 3.9), cardiovascular disease (OR 3.6), and active smoking (OR 3.3) were associated with an increased likelihood of developing postoperative wound complications. With regard to injuries, open fractures (OR 17.9) had the highest likelihood of developing postoperative complications, followed by type 44-C (OR 2.8) and trimalleolar fractures (OR 2.0). Conclusion. Wound complications following open treatment of ankle fractures occurred with an incidence of 11.6% in this series, of which only about half required operative intervention. A third of wounds were managed by orthopaedics in conjunction with plastic surgery. Levels of Evidence: Level III: Retrospective comparative study


2021 ◽  
pp. 193864002110291
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Broggi ◽  
Philip O. Oladeji ◽  
Corey Spenser ◽  
Rishin J. Kadakia ◽  
Jason T. Bariteau

Background The incidence of ankle fractures is increasing, and risk factors for prolonged opioid use after ankle fracture fixation are unknown. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors that lead to prolonged opioid use after surgery. Methods The Truven MarketScan database was used to identify patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 based on CPT codes. Patient characteristics were collected, and patients separated into 3 cohorts based on postoperative opioid use (no refills, refills within 6 months postoperative, and refills within 1 year postoperatively). The χ2 test and multivariate analysis were performed to assess the association between risk factors and prolonged use. Results In total, 34 691 patients were analyzed. Comorbidities most highly associated with prolonged opioid use include 2+ preoperative opioid prescriptions (odds ratio [OR] = 11.92; P < .001), tobacco use (OR = 2.03; P < .001), low back pain (OR = 1.81; P < .001), depression (OR = 1.48; P < .001), diabetes (OR = 1.34; P < .001), and alcohol abuse (OR = 1.32; P < .001). Conclusion Opioid use after ankle fracture surgery is common and may be necessary; however, prolonged opioid use and development of dependence carries significant risk. Identifying those patients at an increased risk for prolonged opioid use can aid providers in tailoring their postoperative pain regimen. Levels of Evidence Prognostic, Level III


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1283-1289
Author(s):  
Young Hwan Park ◽  
Jong Hyub Song ◽  
Gi Won Choi ◽  
Hak Jun Kim

Background: Multiple options are available for closure of incisions in ankle fracture surgery. The aim of our study was to compare postoperative outcomes between conventional simple interrupted nylon sutures and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate as a topical skin adhesive to close the incision after ankle fracture surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 367 consecutive patients (174 simple interrupted nylon suture patients and 193 topical skin adhesive patients) who underwent operative treatment for ankle fracture between 2010 and 2015. Development of wound complications, operative time, Olerud–Molander Ankle Score (OMAS), and patient satisfaction with the wound were compared. The demographics between the 2 groups were not different. Results: There were no differences in complication rates ( P = .861), OMAS at 3 months or 12 months following surgery ( P = .897 and .646, respectively) between the 2 types of wound closure. Operative time was 9 minutes shorter when topical skin adhesive was used compared to nylon sutures ( P = .003). Patient satisfaction with their wound was significantly higher in the topical skin adhesive group than the nylon skin suture group ( P = .012). Conclusions: The use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate topical skin adhesive for wound closure following ankle fracture surgery was effective, safe, and showed higher patient satisfaction compared to simple interrupted nylon sutures. Although caution should be taken because of the insufficient statistical power of complications, this method was an additional safe option for wound closure in ankle fracture surgery. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Bao-Liang Li ◽  
Xizhe Liu ◽  
Lihua Cui ◽  
Wenqian Zhang ◽  
Hui Pang ◽  
...  

Purpose. The study aimed at investigating the effect of local infiltration analgesia (LIA) with ropivacaine on postoperative analgesia for patients undergoing ankle fracture surgery. Methods. Consecutive patients were retrospectively included and analysed according to their medical records from July 2014 to August 2018 in a tertiary hospital. Inclusion criteria were patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for ankle fractures under general anaesthesia. Moreover, patients should have received intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (iPCA) or LIA + iPCA for postoperative pain relief. The primary outcome indicator was visual analogue scale (VAS) from 8 hours to 48 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included postoperative opioid requirement, need for rescue medication, opioid-related adverse effects, and wound complications. Results. In total, 89 consecutive patients were included in the study. There were 48 males and 41 females. The average age was 44.6 ± 7.0 years, and VAS scores were significantly lower in the LIA + iPCA group at 8 hours after surgery (1.51 ± 0.58 cm vs 4.77 ± 1.83 cm, p<0.001). The time to first tramadol consumption was longer (580 ± 60.9 minutes vs 281 ± 86.4 minutes, p<0.001), and the number of patients who need tramadol was lower in the LIA + iPCA group (18 vs 26, p=0.04). There was a statistically significant reduction in morphine consumption (25.1 ± 6.3 mg vs 73.4 ± 8.2 mg, p<0.001) and opioid-related side effects in the LIA + iPCA group (4 vs 10, p=0.023). No major wound complications were noted in either group. However, there were 2 cases with superficial wound necrosis in group LIA + iPCA and 3 patients with superficial wound necrosis in group iPCA, and all cured by local wound care. Conclusions. The retrospective cohort study indicates that LIA with ropivacaine can provide better early postoperative pain management with a reduction of VAS scores for ankle fracture surgery. Patients receiving wound infiltration also experience decreased opioid consumption, a lower rate of analgesia-related side effects, and comparable wound complication rate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 247301141769525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Fu ◽  
Kelsey Young ◽  
Elizabeth Cody ◽  
William W. Schairer ◽  
Constantine A. Demetracopoulos ◽  
...  

Background: Ankle fracture surgeries are generally safe and effective procedures; however, as quality-based reimbursement models are increasingly affected by postoperative readmission, we aimed to determine the causes and risk factors for readmission following ankle fracture surgery. Methods: Ankle fracture cases were identified from the prospectively collected American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2013 to 2014. Demographics, comorbidities, and fracture characteristics were collected. Rates of 30-day adverse events and readmissions were determined as well as the causes for readmission. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with having any adverse events and being readmitted within 30 days of surgery. Results: There were 5056 patients included; 167 (3.3%) were open fractures. The rate of any postoperative adverse event was 5.2%. There were 116 unplanned readmissions, with a readmission rate of 2.3%. Of the 116 unplanned readmissions, 49 (42.2%) were for reasons related to the surgery or surgical site, with the most common causes being deep surgical site/hardware infections (12.9%), superficial site infections (11.2%), and wound disruption (6.9%). Most readmissions were for reasons unrelated to the surgical site (51.7%), including cardiac disorders (8.6%), pulmonary disorders (7.8%), and neurological/psychiatric disorders (6.9%). The cause of readmission was unknown for 6% of readmissions. With multivariable logistic regression, the strongest risk factors for readmission were a history of pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.29), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class ≥3 (OR, 2.28), and open fractures (OR, 2.04) (all P < .05). Conclusion: In this cohort of 5056 ankle fracture cases, 2.3% of patients were readmitted within 30 days, with at least 51.7% of all unplanned readmissions due to causes unrelated to the surgery or surgical site. Predictors of readmission included a history of pulmonary disease, higher ASA class, and open fractures. Based on these findings, we advocate close medical follow-up with nonorthopaedic providers after discharge for high-risk patients. Level of Evidence: Level III.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0011
Author(s):  
Anthony Silva ◽  
Simon Platt

Category: Trauma Introduction/Purpose: It is widely perceived that swelling in the first 24-48 hours following an ankle fracture precludes fixation, delaying operative treatment by 10-14 days to allow swelling to reduce. Such soft tissue management is assumed to be associated with better immediate soft tissue outcomes (wound closure) and mitigation of medium to long-term soft tissue problems. The aim of this study is to identify whether pre-operative ankle swelling has an independent effect on post-operative wound complications following ankle fracture surgery. The hypothesis of this study is that operative intervention at any point in time after the fracture of the ankle, irrespective of swelling, will show no better or worse soft tissue outcomes than those fixations delayed for swelling. The primary outcome measure will be wound complication. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of patients presenting to a tertiary referral centre that were operatively managed for malleolar ankle fractures. Skeletally mature patients with closed, isolated ankle fractures were included in the study. Patients who were multiply-injured, had open fractures, and/or had known pre-existing limb oedema were excluded. Time to surgery was determined by the on-call attending orthopaedic surgeon. Ankle swelling of both the operative and non-operative limb was measured using the validated ‘Figure-of-eight’ measurement around the foot and ankle to quantify swelling of the affected ankle. A ratio of the patient’s 2 ankles was used as the measure of swelling to eliminate any bias between operators and standardise measurements between patients. Visual assessment of swelling was also recorded. Follow up was at 2, 6, and 12 weeks. Wound complications, patient co-morbidities, operative time, surgeon experience, and hospital stay duration were recorded Results: A total of 50 patients met inclusion criteria. Demographics were a 69% female predominance, a mean age of 45, and age range of 17- 69 years. A complication rate of 4% (n=2) was identified with both complications being superficial wound infections requiring oral antibiotics and wound episodes for treatment. Time to surgery had a mean of 6 days (range 0- 20). There was no significant difference in ankle swelling or time to surgery between patients with wound complications and those without. There were no significant differences identified between these groups when considering BMI, smoking status, diabetes, or peripheral vascular disease. Level of operating surgeon, operative time, tourniquet time, and closure material were also not significantly different between patients with and without wound complications. Conclusion: Our results show little post-operative soft tissue complications. If anything, our results are consistent with or show fewer soft tissue problems than the reported literature, despite a range of time to intervention. While we acknowledge that there may be a bias between surgeons in their preference in soft tissue management; we perceive that our study was sufficiently pragmatic to level this effect. Pre-operative swelling and time to operative intervention in ankle fracture surgery were not shown to correlate with change in soft tissue outcomes following ankle fracture surgery.


2022 ◽  
pp. 193864002110659
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Broggi ◽  
Syed Tahmid ◽  
John Hurt ◽  
Rishin J. Kadakia ◽  
Jason T. Bariteau ◽  
...  

Background The effects of preoperative depression following ankle fracture surgery remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between preoperative depression and outcomes following ankle fracture surgery. Methods This retrospective study used the Truven MarketScan database to identify patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery from January 2009 to December 2018. Patients with and without a diagnosis of preoperative depression were identified based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Chi-squared and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between preoperative depression and postoperative complications following ankle fracture surgery. Results In total, 107,897 patients were identified for analysis, 13,981 of whom were diagnosed with depression (13%). Preoperative depression was associated with the increased odds for postoperative infection (odds ratio [OR]: 1.33, confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.46), wound complications (OR: 1.13, CI: 1.00-1.28), pain-related postoperative emergency department visits (OR: 1.58, CI: 1.30-19.1), 30-day and 90-day readmissions (OR: 1.08, CI: 1.03-1.21 and OR: 1.13, CI: 1.07-1.18), sepsis (OR: 1.39, CI: 1.12-1.72), and postoperative development of complex regional pain syndrome (OR: 1.46, CI: 1.18-1.81). Conclusion Preoperative depression is associated with increased complications following ankle fracture surgery. Further studies are warranted to investigate the degree to which depression is a modifiable risk factor. Level of Evidence: 3


2021 ◽  
pp. 193864002199292
Author(s):  
Hope Skibicki ◽  
Sundeep Saini ◽  
Ryan Rogero ◽  
Kristen Nicholson ◽  
Rachel J. Shakked ◽  
...  

Introduction Previous literature has demonstrated an association between acute opioid exposure and the risk of long-term opioid use. Here, the investigators assess immediate postoperative opioid consumption patterns as well as the incidence of prolonged opioid use among opioid-naïve patients following ankle fracture surgery. Methods Included patients underwent outpatient open reduction and internal fixation of an ankle or tibial plafond fracture over a 1-year period. At patients’ first postoperative visit, opioid pills were counted and standardized to the equivalent number of 5-mg oxycodone pills. Prolonged use was defined as filling a prescription for a controlled substance more than 90 days after the index procedure, tracked by the New Jersey Prescription Drug Monitoring Program up to 1 year postoperatively. Results At the first postoperative visit, 173 patients consumed a median of 24 out of 40 pills prescribed. The initial utilization rate was 60%, and 2736 pills were left unused. In all, 32 (18.7%) patients required a narcotic prescription 90 days after the index procedure. Patients with a self-reported history of depression (P = .11) or diabetes (P = .07) demonstrated marginal correlation with prolonged narcotic use. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that, on average, patients utilize significantly fewer opioid pills than prescribed and that many patient demographics are not significant predictors of continued long-term use following outpatient ankle fracture surgery. Large variations in consumption rates make it difficult for physicians to accurately prescribe and predict prolonged narcotic use. Level of Evidence: Level III


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215145932110162
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Broggi ◽  
Philip O. Oladeji ◽  
Syed Tahmid ◽  
Roberto Hernandez-Irizarry ◽  
Jerad Allen

Introduction: Intertrochanteric hip fractures are a common injury treated by orthopedic surgeons and the incidence rate is rising. Preoperative depression is a known risk factor for postoperative complications in orthopaedic surgery, however its effects on outcomes after geriatric hip fractures is relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative depression and potential complications following open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and intramedullary nailing (IMN) of geriatric hip fractures. Methods: In this retrospective study, the Truven Marketscan claims database was used to identify patients over age 65 who underwent ORIF or IMN for a hip fracture from January 2009 to December 2019. Patient characteristics, such as medical comorbidities, were collected and from that 2 cohorts were established (one with and one without depression). Chi-squared and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the association between preoperative depression and common postoperative complications following intertrochanteric hip fracture surgery. Results: In total, 78,435 patients were identified for analysis. In those patients with preoperative depression, the complications associated with the greatest increased odds after undergoing ORIF were surgical site infections (OR 1.32; CI 1.23-1.44), ED visit for pain (OR 1.27; CI 1.16-1.39), wound complications (OR 1.26; CI 1.14-1.35), and non-union (OR 1.25; CI 1.17-1.33). In the patients with preoperative depression undergoing IMN, the complications associated with the greatest increased odds after were surgical site infections (OR 1.37; CI 1.31- 1.45), ED visit for pain (OR 1.31; CI 1.19-1.44), wound complications (OR 1.23; CI 1.10-1.39), and pneumonia (OR 1.22; CI 1.10-1.31). Conclusions: Preoperative depression in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery is associated with increased complications. Recognizing a patients’ preoperative depression diagnosis can allow physicians to adapt perioperative and postoperative surveillance protocols for these higher risk patients. Further studies are warranted to investigate the degree to which depression is a modifiable risk factor


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