fracturerelated

Fracturerelated is a term used in orthopedics and trauma medicine to describe conditions and complications that arise in connection with bone fractures and their treatment, including injuries at the fracture site, surrounding tissues, and implanted fixation devices. The term is used to categorize problems that occur during initial healing or after fixation, emphasizing their relationship to a fracture event.

Commonly discussed fracture-related conditions include fracture-related infection, nonunion or delayed union, malunion, hardware failure or irritation, and post-traumatic stiffness or loss of function. Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a recognized complication in which infection is associated with a fracture or fracture fixation; it can involve the fracture hematoma, bone, soft tissues, and implants. Diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical signs (redness, swelling, drainage), laboratory markers, imaging, and microbiological testing, often requiring intraoperative findings for confirmation. Management typically involves a multidisciplinary approach with surgical debridement or revision of fixation, removal or exchange of implants if needed, and targeted antimicrobial therapy guided by culture results.

Prevention focuses on meticulous surgical technique, appropriate perioperative antibiotics, effective wound care, stable fixation, and early soft tissue management to reduce infection risk and promote healing. Prognosis varies with injury severity, anatomical location, patient factors, and adherence to treatment; some fracture-related complications respond to therapy, while others may require prolonged rehabilitation or revision surgery.