Primary Suture Closure of External Fixation Pin Sites After Removal Has a Lower Risk of Infection Compared With Pin Sites Left Open

作者：Molly G. Sekar, J. C. Woodrow, Lindsey Lamb, Tram T. Tran, John Thomas, Divya Jeyasingh, Burak Altıntaş, Michael D. McKee, Niloofar Dehghan · 发表于：Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1097/bot.0000000000003054 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Bone fractures and treatments、Reconstructive Surgery and Microvascular Techniques、Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To compare infection rates after external fixation removal, comparing pin sites that were primary closed with those left open to heal by secondary intention. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Multicenter study. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: All adult patients (18 years and older) who underwent removal of external fixator that was used for extremity fractures from 2007 to 2023 with at least 30 days follow-up. Patients were stratified into 2 cohorts: (1) external fixator pin sites primarily closed after external fixator removal and (2) pin sites left open to heal with secondary intention after external fixator removal. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: Patient characteristics, fracture characteristics, and details of the external fixator removal surgery were recorded. Comparison of the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) of pin site after external fixation removal were performed between the 2 groups (pin sites that were closed primarily and those left open after external fixator removal). RESULTS: A total of 412 patients were included, with a mean follow-up of 259 days. There were 254 patients in the closed pin site after pin removal group (mean age 53 years, range 18-95, 39% female) and 158 in the pin sites left open after pin removal group (mean age 54 years, range 18-93, 49.4% female). The median duration of external fixator in the closed group was 11 days and 19 days in the open group ( P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated increased odds of SSI of ...