[Infection rate in open fractures adjusted for the degree of exposure].

UNLABELLED: Every year 50,000 open fractures occur in Mexico; the complication rate is 20%, and infection is the number one complication. The infection rate at the global level is 3%. The infection rate reported in Mexico is 4.4% (1999) overall for open fractures, with infection rates ranging from 0.8 to 15.6% according to the degree of exposure; however, no updated data are available.

METHODS: A retrospective, longitudinal, descriptive, observational study was designed, that included a total of 273 cases. The degree of exposure of the fracture was identified in patients based on the Hospital de Traumatologia Victorio de la Fuente Narváez classification of open fractures and their course within 12 months was assessed identifying the cases with infection. The infection rate was measured according to the degree of exposure of the fracture with univariate analysis, and the association of the variables of interest was established using a bivariate analysis with the chi2 statistical test.

RESULTS: The infection rate of open fractures was 8.05%, regardless of the degree of exposure. The latter resulted in an infection rate ranging from 0 to 16.66%.

CONCLUSIONS: According to the world literature, open fractures result in a high infection rate, with a lower infection rate for open fractures adjusted for the degree of exposure compared to reports of world series and prior national figures. The degree of exposure was statistically significant (p = 0.04) for the presence of infection, according to the Hospital de Traumatología Victorio de la Fuente Narváez classification of open fractures.