Table 2.
Rates of minor, major, and total postoperative complications according to fracture location and fixation.
| Complication | Open Rx of femur shaft fx w/IM nail, ±screws/cerclage/external fixation (27506) |
Open Rx of femur shaft fx w/plate/screws, ±cerclage (27507) |
Open Rx tibial shaft ± fib fx, w/plate/screws, ±cerclage (27758) |
Open Rx tibial shaft ± fib fx, w/IM nail/screws, ±cerclage (27759) |
p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | |||||
| Death | 49 (4.8%) | 17 (3.8%) | 2 (0.4%) | 5 (0.5%) | <0.0001 |
| Deep SSI | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (0.7%) | 3 (0.7%) | 5 (0.5%) | 0.051 |
| Organ space infection | 1 (0.1%) | 1 (0.2%) | 4 (0.9%) | 1 (0.1%) | 0.037 |
| MI | 5 (0.5%) | 9 (2.0%) | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.1%) | 0.001 |
| DVT | 17 (1.7%) | 8 (1.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 6 (0.6%) | 0.001 |
| PE | 9 (0.9%) | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.2%) | 2 (0.2%) | 0.113 |
| CVA | 7 (0.7%) | 3 (0.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.1%) | 0.039 |
| Coma | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | – |
| Peripheral nerve injury | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.106 |
| Sepsis | 14 (1.4%) | 6 (1.3%) | 3 (0.7%) | 6 (0.6%) | 0.384 |
| Septic shock | 7 (0.7%) | 2 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.2%) | 0.112 |
| Minor | |||||
| Dehiscence | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (0.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.002 |
| Superficial SSI | 9 (0.9%) | 2 (0.4%) | 4 (0.9%) | 9 (0.9%) | 0.913 |
| Pneumonia | 29 (2.9%) | 9 (2.0%) | 7 (1.6%) | 15 (1.5%) | 0.174 |
| UTI | 49 (4.8%) | 27 (6.0%) | 4 (0.9%) | 10 (1.0%) | <0.0001 |
| Summary of adverse events | |||||
| Rate of major events | 95 (9.4%) | 45 (10.0%) | 14 (3.1%) | 3 (2.3%) | <0.0001 |
| Rate of minor events | 80 (7.9%) | 38 (8.4%) | 18 (4.0%) | 33 (3.4%) | <0.0001 |
| Rate of all events | 151 (14.9%) | 70 (15.6%) | 26 (5.8%) | 57 (5.8%) | <0.0001 |