Early Reconstruction Delivered Better Outcomes for Severe Open Fracture of Lower Extremities: A 15-Year Retrospective Study

Background: The principle of early flap reconstruction for high-grade traumatic lower-extremity injuries established in 1986 by Godina has been widely accepted. However, the lack of an orthoplastic center in China makes early reconstruction not accessible for all patients with a Gustilo IIIB fracture. This study aimed to analyze the impact of timing on outcomes in lower-extremity traumatic free-flap reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective review identified 394 free-flap reconstructions performed from January 2005 to January 2020 for Gustilo IIIB tibial fractures. Patients were stratified based on the number of debridements: two times or less (early) and more than two times (delayed). The interval between injury and reconstruction, surgery time, hemorrhage volume, length of hospitalization (LoS), wound and bone healing time, flap outcomes, and function restoration were examined based on times of debridement. Results: The mean interval between injury and flap reconstruction in the early-repair group with 6.15 ± 1.82 postoperative days (PODs) was significantly shorter than that of the delayed-repair group with 16.46 ± 4.09 PODs (p < 0.001). The flap harvest time, reconstructive time, and intraoperative blood loss were also significantly less in the early-repair group compared to the delayed-repair group. Interestingly, we observed an 8.20% enlargement of wound size due to multiple debridements in the delayed-repair group. Most importantly, the early-repair group had better outcomes with a decreased risk of total or partial flap necrosis, lower incidence of flap complications, and fewer overall late complications than the delayed-repair group. In addition, the LoS, as well as wound and bone healing time, were notably shorter in the early-repair group. Furthermore, 4.85% of cases in the delayed-repair group experienced additional operations on bone, while no additional operations were performed in the early-repair group. All cases in both groups obtained satisfying functional results, while the early-repair group showed better functional recovery. Conclusions: Early repair with free flaps performed within two instances of debridement had superior outcomes when compared with delayed reconstruction after multiple debridements, consistent with Godina’s findings. We recommended early referral to a higher-level hospital with orthoplastic capabilities after an aggressive and thorough initial debridement carried out by senior surgeons.