Outpatient management of facial fractures in France: Current state

Maxillofacial trauma is still very common in France with possible involvement of all face bones. Outpatient surgery is an axis strongly put forward by the public authorities. The aim of this study is to establish a current state in the outpatient management of facial fractures in France in 2019 before COVID infection. A closed and semi-open-ended questionnaire was sent to French hospitals treating facial fractures in order to evaluate current and possible future practices in terms of outpatient and perioperative management. Data extracted from the Program for giving Medical significance to Information Systems (PMSI) thanks to the Agency for Information on Hospital Care (ATIH) were also studied to obtain proportions of outpatient care by department. About the questionnaire 43 replies were received. Nasal fractures were the only type of fracture having a minimum average length of stay below 24hours (12.00±16.65) as well as an actual average length of stay (14.22±24.24). Concerning data extracted from the PMSI, 14510 stays were found. Currently only nasal fractures and zygomatic arch fractures requiring simple reduction without osteosynthesis are performed on an outpatient basis. Mandibular fractures could be performed as an outpatient procedure. Access to the operating room and organizational problems specific to each center are factors that limit the development of outpatient management of these facial fractures. Some incompressible parameters such as the monitoring required following the management of these fractures as well as the patients' comorbidities must be taken into account.