AGE AS A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN OPEN TIBIAL FRACTURES IN CHILDREN

Thirty-one consecutive open fractures of the tibia were reviewed prosp ectively, Duration from injury until last examination averaged 3.7 yea rs, The patients were divided into 2 groups for comparison: Group A co nsisted of children younger than 12 years of age and Group B of patien ts 12 years of age or older, The fractures were graded according to th e system of Gustilo and Anderson, The severity of patient injuries in each group was similar, The treatments were likewise similar, but for all parameters studied, the younger patients fared better than their o lder counterparts, This study suggests that open fractures in children younger than 12 years of age require less aggressive surgical treatme nt, heal faster, are more resistant to infection, and have fewer compl ications than those in older children.