Fracture Infections

Although most of the fractures heal without causing any kind of infection, but some fractured bones may get infected whose treatment and recovery can be prolonged and complicated.

Causes

• Entry of bacteria into the body during a traumatic event.
• Especially in the cases of open or compound fracture.
• Scratched skin allows bacteria to travel down to the broken bone.
• Open skin scratches or wound, therefore can lead to infection.
• Entry of bacteria into the body during surgery to set the broken bones.
• This type of entry is rare but 1% cases may have infection due to this.
• Conditions like diabetes, HIV , RA etc may increase the risk of an infection
• Poor nutrition
• Lack of Vitamin D & Calcium
• Poor hygiene

Symptoms

• Warmth
• Redness
• Increased pain
• Swelling and inflammation
• Difficulty to move the joint
• Formation of pus pocket
• If pus bursts, it may drain from the injury and will cause fevers, chills, and night sweats

Treatment

Every fracture can get infectious and its prevention starts as soon as the patient reports injury. The main precautionary, as well as therapeutic measures, include:

• Antibiotics
• Debridement and irrigation to cleanse the wound and remove as much contamination as possible
• Additional surgery to clean out the infection
• Placement of special drains in the wound to rid of pus
• Antibiotic delivery systems, like “antibiotic beads,” to provide higher concentrations of antibiotics
• Amputation of the infected limb