Blisters in Ankle Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Podiatric Medicine
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Skin complications are common after ankle fracture surgery.
• Understanding risk factors for these complications is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors associated with short-term postoperative complications, specifically skin issues like blisters, following ankle fracture fixation.
• To analyze the relationship between patient comorbidities, fracture characteristics, surgical details, and the incidence of postoperative blisters.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 112 patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation for ankle fractures.
• Data collected included patient comorbidities, fracture type, open fracture status, fracture-dislocation, surgical timing and duration, preoperative glucose levels, and short-term complications.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare characteristics between patients with and without postoperative blisters.

Main Results:

• Postoperative blisters occurred in 20.5% of patients.
• Patients with blisters had significantly longer operative times (75.74 min vs. 64.48 min, p=0.023).
• Higher preoperative blood glucose levels were observed in patients with blisters (122.96 g/dL vs. 106.70 g/dL, p=0.003).
• No significant difference in complication rates was found based on surgery timing (<24 hours vs. >24 hours).

Conclusions:

• The incidence of postoperative blisters after ankle fracture surgery is associated with prolonged operative duration and elevated preoperative serum glucose levels.
• These findings suggest that careful surgical planning and glycemic control may help mitigate the risk of skin complications.