Agricultural Trauma Causing Open Fractures: Is Antibiotic Coverage Against Anaerobic Organisms Indicated?

Objective:

To compare deep infection rate and causative organisms in open fractures of the lower extremity from agricultural trauma with similar injuries in nonagricultural trauma.

Design:

Retrospective.

Setting:

Two tertiary care institutions.

Methods:

Open lower extremity fractures sustained between 2003 and 2018 caused by agriculture-related trauma in adult patients were reviewed. A nonagriculture open fracture control group (NAG) was identified for comparison. Patient demographics and injury characteristics were assessed. Outcomes included occurrence of deep infection and causative organisms.

Results:

One hundred seventy-eight patients were identified in the agriculture (AG) (n = 89) and control (NAG) (n = 89) groups. Among patients with agricultural injury, farm machinery was the most common mechanism in 69 (77.5%) of them. Open injuries of the foot (38.2%) and tibial shaft injuries (25.8%) were the most common in the AG and NAG groups, respectively. Deep infection was seen in 21% of patients in the AG group compared with 10% in the NAG group (P

Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma - January 29, 2022 Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Original Article Source Type: research