The Current Consensus on the Management of Post-traumatic Blisters Among Orthopaedic Surgeons

Post-traumatic blister is often encountered in high-energy injuries and following major limb surgeries. Currently, there is very limited evidence concerning blister management resulting in a lack of comprehensive guidelines for their management. The current survey-based study aims to appraise the current consensus in post-traumatic management among the practising orthopaedic surgeons and compare the same with the evidence in the literature.

We conducted an online questionnaire-based survey of orthopaedic surgeons concerning post-traumatic blister management practices. The questionnaire mainly focused on antibiotic prophylaxis, local invasive procedures, antiseptics dressings and additional treatment options regarding blister management.

A high prevalence (~ 78%) of systemic antibiotics administration was noticed for post-traumatic blister management. Similarly, large section of respondents (66.4%) advocated for either de-roofing or aspiration of blisters. Approximately 42% of respondents preferred sending blister fluid for cultures. More than half of the respondents used some form of local dressing to cover the blister bed to provide a healing environment. Additional opinions mostly included anti-inflammatory and swelling reducing measures. Few respondents also advocated for oral steroids for inflammation control.

The limited evidence available in literature could be the potential contributing factor for varying clinical practices for post-traumatic blister management. The general measures to reduce soft-tissue oedema have been supported by the literature. However, the use of systemic antibiotics and steroids has not been supported by the literature and should be avoided unless indicated due to other reasons. Further evidence is required to strengthen the recommendations for post-traumatic blister management.