Modern concepts of treating diaphyseal forearm fractures (literature review)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Treating patients with open forearm fractures is always a difficult task. The complexity of treating these patients is related to the anatomical and biomechanical specifics of the segment. In many cases, fragmented, unstable fractures have serious soft tissue damage due to high-energy trauma, blood supply failure, the risk of infectious complications, prolonged wound healing, compartment syndrome development, delayed union, and contracture formation. AIM: This article reviews the modern native and foreign literature regarding the treatment of patients with open diaphyseal forearm fractures and identifies the main problems in these injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analysis of modern Russian and foreign literature concerning the treatment of patients with open diaphyseal forearm fractures is presented. The analysis was performed using the medical publication databases of CyberLeninka, eLibrary, and PubMed without limiting the search depth. RESULTS: The high percentage of unsatisfactory results of open fractures, both anatomical and functional, especially of severe type III fractures, presents a problem. This requires the developing methods to achieve fusion to avoid infectious complications and obtain a good functional result. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical wound management, stabilization of the fracture in the external fixation apparatus, prevention of infection with antibiotics, and early soft tissue coverage are necessary treatment steps to reduce the infection risk. Conversion of the device to submerged fixation allows early functional treatment, including rotational movement restoration. The choice of fixation method, the timing of the conversion, and the type of internal fixation remain a matter of debate.