The impact of a dedicated orthoplastic operating list on time to soft tissue coverage of open lower limb fractures

Abstract

An observational study was conducted of 105 patients presenting with an open fracture of the tibia or ankle to determine the impact of a dedicated orthoplastic operating list on our management of these injuries over the time period January 2012 to July 2014. There were 51 patients before and 54 after the introduction of the orthoplastic list. Significant improvements were noted in our ability to deliver a service in line with national guidelines across all Gustilo–Anderson grades of injury. Among patients with the most severe grades of injury (Gustilo types IIIB and IIIC), there was a trend towards an improved time to first skeletal stabilisation (29.5 vs 14.2 hours, p=0.068), an improvement in time to soft tissue coverage (173.6 vs 88.1 hours, p=0.009) and a trend towards a reduced length of inpatient stay (32.6 vs 23.2 days, p=0.138). Where the 72-hour target had been breached, there was a significant improvement in the proportion of patients covered within 7 days of injury (48.2% vs 83.3%, p=0.017). Our compliance with national management standards increased significantly to reflect these improvements in care. These results support the implementation of dedicated orthoplastic operating sessions to meet the growing burden of patients presenting with open fractures at specialist centres.