Infection rates following internal fixation of open and closed tibia fractures with Intra medullary inter locking nail-observational cohort study

Abstract

Background: Diaphysial fractures of tibia are most common fractures of lower extremity, this has been in raise due to increased Road Traffic Accidents(RTA).Locked intra medullary nailing currently is considered the treatment of choice. Surgical site infection following internal fixation is a fearful complication as affecting the quality of life. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the rate of infection within one year of surgery and to describe the distribution of infections by location and time of diagnosis for tibia fractures in our study. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study. Patients who presented with an open or closed tibia shaft fracture treated with Inter Locking Nail (ILN) at our hospitals were invited to participate in the study. Participants attended follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery, where they were assessed for presence of infection at surgical site. Results: 213 participants were included in the study and 199 participants completed the 12 month follow-up. The overall rates of infection within 12 months of surgery was 11% (22 participants).The incidence of infection was higher in open fractures (17.1%) (12 infections) as compared to closed fractures (7.8%) (10 infections) with p