[Personal experience in the care of open fractures using external fixation during the hostilities in Osijek and surrounding region].

In the period of aggression of the Federal Army and Serbian paramilitary forces on the City of Osijek and its surrounding, beginning in the summer of 1991, 4036 wounded were treated at the Department of Surgery, Osijek General Hospital. Extremity injuries were documented in 3889 patients, including 959 bone fractures. The majority of patients had wounds caused by highly destructive explosives filled with metal fragments of different shapes and dimensions, and having sharp and uneven edges. One hundred and forty wounded were treated by external fixators. In 102 patients this mode of fixation was applied for gun- and explosive-related long bone fractures of the lower extremities. External fixator for the upper and forearm fractures was used in 38 cases. During this period, different types of external fixators were used and experience in this work has been gained. Stability of both open and unstable bone fractures of the extremities, caused by explosive devices, has been obtained by the external fixation mostly in one plane, regardless of the type of external fixator used. The advantages of use of external fixators of the types Instrumentarija Zagreb 1 and 2 for the treatment of long bone fractures has been emphasized as well as the possibility of the subsequent corrections owing to the technical construction of the bone spike. The usefulness of the longitudinal bar of the AO/ASIF fixator for the healing of fractures of the upper leg with subsequent callus formation is also stressed. The same stability has been achieved by the CMC fixator. The external fixators of a type Zagreb 2 have been a satisfactory treatment for forearm fractures as well.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)