Table 5.
Injury and FRI characteristics.
| Total (n = 102) | Open Fractures (n = 35) | Closed Fractures (n = 67) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time from injury to definitive fixation (days) | 10.49 (1–45) | 9.11 (1–43) | 11.25 (1–45) |
| Time from injury to soft tissue cover (hours) a | 49.5 (14–120) | 49.5 (14–120) | N/A |
| Time from injury to FRI diagnosis (days) | 83.1 (12–475) | 63.48 (12–145) | 93.35 (32–475) |
| Time from FRI diagnosis to bone infection team review (days) | 7.68 (0–25) | 6.97 (0–18) | 8.05 (0–25) |
| Acute infection (onset < 6 weeks) | 30 (29.4%) | 21 (60.0%) | 9 (13.4%) |
| Chronic infection (onset > 6 weeks) | 72 (70.6%) | 14 (40.0%) | 58 (86.6%) |
| Recurrent infection | 21 (20.6%) | 7 (20%) | 14 (20.9%) |
| Implant retained | |||
| Yes | 49 (48.0%) | 18 (51.4%) | 31 (46.3%) |
| No | 53 (52.0%) | 17 (48.6%) | 36 (53.7%) |
| Non-union requiring further surgery | 10 (9.8%) | 6 (17.1%) | 4 (6.0%) |
| Signs of systemic sepsis | 16 (15.7%) | 5 (14.3%) | 11 (16.4%) |
| Amputation | 3 (2.9%) | 1 (2.9%) | 2 (3.0%) |
| Elevated ESR b | 63 (61.8%) | 20 (57.1%) | 43 (64.2%) |
| Elevated CRP b | 87 (85.3%) | 30 (85.7%) | 57 (85.1%) |
| Elevated WBC b | 80 (78.4%) | 24 (68.6%) | 56 (83.6%) |
a Open fractures only; b Normal ranges for ESR, CRP, and WBC are 1–14 mm/h, 0–6 mg/L, and 3.6–10.5 × 109/L, respectively.