METALLIC OR ABSORBABLE IMPLANTS FOR ANKLE FRACTURES - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF INFECTIONS IN 3,111 CASES

Absorbable fracture fixation has been in clinical use since 1984, Our study compares the infection rates and some infection parameters betwe en metallic (2073 patients) and absorbable fracture fixation devices ( 1012 patients) in displaced ankle fractures. The infection rate associ ated with metallic fixation was 4.1%, compared with 3.2% absorbable fi xation (p 0.3). The patients who had a wound infection were older when metallic fixation was used (p 0.01). They also had a bi- or trimalleo lar fracture more often than did patients treated with absorbable frac ture fixation, but this difference did not have a significant effect o n the wound infection rate (p 0.2). The infections were mostly caused by microorganisms of the Staphylococcus species. Deep infections were equally common with both fixation methods (0.4%), but there was some v ariation in the bacterial spectrum.