Open Fracture
An open fracture is a dangerous type of injury because it is often associated with other types of body trauma. Its severity may vary from a small visible wound to overt physical trauma that shows seriously damaged bones, muscles, blood vessels and nerves.
Open fractures involve broken bones that are exposed to the environment and are at risk for contamination and infection.
Part 1: What Is an Open Fracture?
An open fracture is a broken bone that penetrates the skin. Compared to a broken bone that does not pierce the skin (a closed fracture), an open fracture increases your risk for infection. Therefore, immediate treatment is necessary. This often requires an operation to clean the affected area to prevent infection. Furthermore,
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Bleeding may be minimal or profuse. Dirt and debris may be found surrounding the area affected.
Because of tissue exposure, you are at risk for wound infection and bone infection (osteomyelitis). Tetanus infection is another risk involved in open fractures. In severe cases, the rate of infection from bacterial contamination remains as high as 20 percent, depending on the associated injuries to the soft tissues, as well as the effectiveness of initial management. Bacterial contamination to the wound at the time of injury and hospital-acquired microbes increase your risk for infection.
Other possible complications include non-union of the broken fragments of bone and chronic osteomyelitis. Sometimes, amputation of a limb may be necessary to save your life. Failure of fixation and non-union of bone fragments will depend on various factors such as the location of the fracture and the extent of damage to the soft tissues. Nerve and blood vessel (neurovascular) damage, trauma to other parts of the body, and compartment syndrome are also possible