title: Smoking Effects in a Distal Tibia Fracture Treated With External Fixation.
abstract: Distal tibia fractures are one of the most demanding injuries in orthopaedic traumatology, due mainly to frequent coexistence of covering tissue problems and poor blood supply. Smoking exerts a detrimental effect on fracture healing, increasing the time to union. We report the case of a 60-year-old heavy-smoker (about 20 cigarettes a day) with a distal tibia fracture that necessitated synthesis with an external fixator to maximize the healing process, which nevertheless required more than one and half year to heal. We consider this case as a "take-home message" against tobacco use during the treatment of any orthopaedic issue.
authors.affiliation: Andrea Emilio Salvi, MD, A.S.S.T. Franciacorta, Civil Hospital of Chiari, Brescia, Italy, Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department. Alexander Nikolaevich Chelnokov, MD, Consultant in Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Formerly Ural Scientific Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ekaterinburg, Russia. Simone Roda, PNA, A.S.S.T. del Garda, Civil Hospital "La Memoria" of Gavardo, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea Emilio
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Salvi
authors.forename: Alexander Nikolaevich
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Chelnokov
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roda
mesh_terms: D016267:External Fixators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology