[Fractures of the extremities with severe open soft tissue damage. Initial management and reconstructive treatment...

The successful management of open extremity injuries continues to represent a surgical challenge requiring a structured and multidisciplinary treatment concept. The treatment strategy depends on specific parameters, including the overall injury severity, life threatening trauma components, the degree oft soft tissue injury, the ischemia time, the contamination of the wound as well as the age and accompanying diseases of the patient. The treatment of fractures with a high-grade open soft tissue injury is guided by the severity of soft tissue damage including neurovascular damages, type of the fracture, overall state of the patient and is based on a clearly defined reconstructive algorithm sequentially employing initial wound treatment (debridement), stabilisation of the fracture and soft tissue coverage. The initial wound management includes radical and serial debridements and vessel reconstruction, followed by the gradual reconstruction of bone, tendons and nerves and a subsequent plastic soft tissue coverage.The sequential and priority-orientated implementation of these treatment steps is decisive for the long term outcome, which ideally results in an regular healing of bone and soft tissue without the presence of infection and good regain of extremity function.