title: Timing of Operative Debridement in Open Fractures.
abstract: The optimal treatment of open fractures continues to be an area of debate in the orthopedic literature. Recent research has challenged the dictum that open fractures should be debrided within 6 hours of injury. However, the expedient administration of intravenous antibiotics remains of paramount importance in infection prevention. Multiple factors, including fracture severity, thoroughness of debridement, time to initial treatment, and antibiotic administration, among other variables, contribute to the incidence of infection and complicate identifying an optimal time to debridement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, 3737 Market Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rozell
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, 3737 Market Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Keith P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, 3737 Market Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: Samir.mehta@uphs.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D005597:Fractures, Open / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D061646:Operative Time; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Antibiotics; Debridement; Open fracture; Surgical timing