Hydrotherapy for Patients With External Fixation: Effect on Infectious Events

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Pediatric orthopedics
• Rehabilitation medicine

Background:

• External fixators are standard for pediatric long bone lengthening and deformity correction.
• Infection is a common complication, potentially limiting beneficial treatments like hydrotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the incidence and duration of infections in pediatric patients undergoing hydrotherapy during external fixation.
• To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a supervised hydrotherapy program in this patient group.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 34 skeletally immature patients undergoing lower limb external fixation.
• Documentation of patient demographics, diagnosis, surgery site, and hydrotherapy compliance.
• Tracking of pin site infection incidence and duration, with strict adherence to hydrotherapy protocols.

Main Results:

• A low incidence of infection (32 cancellations out of 1200 treatments) was observed during supervised hydrotherapy.
• No significant correlation was found between infections and patient factors (sex, age, diagnosis, laterality) or treatment duration.
• High compliance with hydrotherapy was noted, with strong correlation between external fixation duration and hydrotherapy duration.

Conclusions:

• Supervised hydrotherapy during external fixation for pediatric long bone lengthening is feasible.
• This approach demonstrates a low prevalence of infectious complications, supporting its use in clinical practice.