#TIBIA AND FIBULA SURGERY SKIN#

During surgery, your doctor will either swab or take samples of the infected tissue to find out what type of bacteria is causing the infection. If you have an infection after surgery, your doctor may initially treat it with antibiotics alone, but you will likely need additional surgery to clean out the infection. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may require several debridement and irrigation procedures. It is suggested that people with open fractures undergo debridement and irrigation as soon as is reasonable, ideally within 24 hours of sustaining the injury. This procedure, called debridement and irrigation, is typically performed in an operating room. Your doctor will then clean the wound and remove as much contamination as possible from the skin, soft tissues, and bone.You will be started on antibiotics as soon as possible in the emergency room.SymptomsĪn open fracture is a surgical emergency. Other factors include having morbid obesity, poor nutrition, or poor hygiene. These include, first and foremost, smoking and using nicotine products. You may also be at greater risk because of the lifestyle choices you make. Risk FactorsĬhronic diseases that lower your immune system may put you at greater risk for infection after fracture. This occurs when bacteria enter the body during another surgical procedure (such as a tooth extraction or root canal) and make their way to the implants used to treat the fracture. Less commonly, an infection can occur at the surgical site even long after the injury has healed. Preventative antibiotics are given before surgery to lower the risk for infection. The risk for developing an infection in this setting is quite low, usually less than 1% in healthy individuals, although this varies depending on the injury and the operation performed.

#TIBIA AND FIBULA SURGERY SKIN#

Surgeryĭuring surgery to fix a fracture, the doctor cuts through skin and soft tissues to reach the broken bone. Rosemont, IL, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2016, pp.

(Right) Reproduced from Egol KA, Gardner MJ, eds: Let's Discuss Management of Common Fractures. The broken end of the tibia (shinbone) has torn through the soft tissues and is sticking out through the skin. Illustration and x-ray show an open fracture.

Tibia and fibula surgery