REEMPLOYMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SURGICAL SALVAGE OF OPEN, HIGH-ENERGY TIBIAL FRACTURES - AN OUTCOME STUDY

Between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1990, 36 patients with 37 ty pe III high-energy open tibial shaft fractures were treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Patients with primary amputations were excluded, All patients with high-energy open tibial fractures with an intact posteri or tibial nerve, protective sensations of the plantar surface of the f oot, and warm ischemia time of less than 6 hours were considered salva geable. ii retrospective review of the charts was completed, Twenty-ei ght patients with 29 fractures were interviewed for work status, an av erage of 39 months after treatment, Twenty-five patients with 25 fract ures were working at the time of the accident, Three patients with fou r fractures were not working at the time of the accident, Nineteen of 25 patients (76%) returned to work. Sixteen of 25 patients (64%) retur ned to work al a similar level of manual labor. The average delay betw een injury and return to work was II months (range, 3-18 months), Two of the 36 patients (5.5%) required secondary amputations, Twenty-five of 28 patients (89%) interviewed reported one or more subjective compl aints, The two amputees reported no subjective complaints.