Predictors of wound leakage in patients undergoing surgery for neck of femur fractures.

AIMS

Persistent wound leakage following joint arthroplasty is a known risk for periprosthetic joint infection. Little is known of the predictors of wound leakage, particularly in patients with a fractured neck of femur. We aimed to determine patient and surgical risk factors for wound leakage in this cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients undergoing surgery for a fractured neck of femur at Leicester Royal Infirmary between May and August 2017 were included. Patients were identified from a prospective database and placed into two groups: those with wound leakage later than three days postoperatively and those without leakage. All previously reported potential risk factors for wound leakage were compared between groups using a chi-square test and logistic regression. A Kattan-style nomogram was also created to allow probabilities output for the regression predictive models in a visual representation.

RESULTS

Two hundred patients underwent surgery for a fractured neck of femur. Overall, 17% of patients (33/200) developed a persistent leaky wound. A multivariable model highlighted increased age ( = 0.01), raised body mass index (BMI; > 25 kg/m;  = 0.047), diabetes ( = 0.03) and intramedullary hip screw fixation ( = 0.03) as significant risk factors for wound leakage. Patients with persistent wound leakage had significantly longer hospital admission than those without ( = 0.001).

DISCUSSION

Our analysis identified four perioperative risk factors for wound leakage following fractured neck of femur surgery. We also developed a novel tool to identify those patients at highest risk of leakage. Once identified, the aggressive management of certain medical comorbidities in these patients may help to reduce their incidence of wound issues and the prolonged admissions that result.