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[Early soft tissue coverage in treatment of severe open tibial fractures]
1Department of Orthopaedics, Second Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110003, China.
Objective:
To study the role of early soft tissue coverage in the treatment of severe open tibial fractures.
Methods:
76 open tibial fractures of type III b were divided into early group (0 - 7 days), subacute group (8 - 30 days), and late group(> 30 days) according to the coverage time of soft tissue. Complications such as infection and nonunion were compared.
Results:
The infection and nonunion rates of early group were lower than those of the subacute and late groups. The average time to union of the early group was less than that of the subacute and late groups.
Conclusions:
Early soft tissue coverage can reduce the complications and the time to union of severe open tibial fractures. The time for "early" coverage should be limited in 1 week. The opportunity of nosocomial infection will increase after 1 week.