Functional outcomes following surgical-site infections after operative fixation of closed ankle fractures.

BACKGROUND: To compare the functional outcomes between patients with and without postoperative surgical-site infection (SSI) after surgical treatment in closed ankle fractures.

METHODS: Retrospective cohort study with prospective follow-up. Of 1011 treated patients, 959 were eligible for inclusion in a postal survey. Functional outcomes were assessed using three self-reported questionnaires.

RESULTS: In total 567 patients responded a median of 4.3 years (range 3.1-6.2 years) after surgery. In total 29/567 had an SSI. The mean Olerud and Molander Ankle Score was 19.8 points lower for patients with a deep SSI (p=0.02), the Lower Extremity Functional Scale score was 10.2 points lower (p<0.01) and the Self-Reported Foot & Ankle Questionnaire score was 5.0 points higher (p=0.10) than for those without an SSI, after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, diabetes, physical status, fracture classification and duration of surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a deep SSI had worse long-term functional outcomes than those without an SSI.