[Value of adjuvant local antibiotic administration in therapy of open fractures. A comparative analysis of 704 consecutive cases].

Seven hundred and four compound fractures--198 (28%) grade I, 259 (37%) grade II, 247 (35%) grade III (86 IIIA, 119 IIIB, 42 IIIC)--were treated in 590 patients between May 1983 and May 1989 at the University of Louisville. Of these fractures, 157 (22%, group 1) received systemic antibiotic prophylaxis only, whereas 547 (78%, group 2) were treated with additional local application of aminoglycoside beads (tobramycin). Comparison of factors (fracture grades, age, sex, fracture location, follow up) revealed no significant differences between the two groups. All fractures underwent timely irrigation, debridement and skeletal stabilization. In group 1, 52 wounds were primarily closed, 53 underwent delayed primary closure and 52 were left open. In group 2 283 wounds were primarily closed, 229 were managed with the bead pouch technique and 35 were adapted loosely (delayed closure). Forty-nine (6.96%) of the 704 compound fractures became infected (acute wound infection and/or chronic osteomyelitis). Group 1 showed an infection rate of 16.6% (26/157), group 2 a rate of 4.2% (23/547). The difference was statistically highly significant (P < 0.001). Comparison of the infection rates, whether on an acute or a chronic basis, showed that infection rates were lower in group 2 than in group 1 for all fracture grades. A statistically significant difference was established only for type IIIB fractures, where the wound infection rate was 39.1% (9/23) in group 1 and 7.3% (7/96) in group 2 (P < 0.001). The rate of chronic osteomyelitis was 26.1% (6/23) in group 1 and 6.3% (6/96) in group 2 (P < 0.025).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)