Importance of injury severity in the choice of treatment and its impact on prognosis in gunshot fractures.

PURPOSE: The management of femur and tibia fractures resulting from gunshot injuries is a challenge for orthopedic surgeons. One-stage and two-stage treatments are applied according to the anatomical location and severity of the injury. In this study, the importance of injury severity and anatomical location was evaluated in the choice of treatment method and its impact on prognosis in cases of lower extremity gunshot fractures.

METHODS: A total of 124 patients who met the study criteria were evaluated. They were grouped separately according to the anatomical location of the injury (femur, n = 73; tibia, n = 51) and the surgical method (one-stage, n = 77; two-stage, n = 47). The demographic characteristics of the patients, fracture classification, presence of neurological or vascular damage at the time of diagnosis, anatomical location of the injury, surgical procedure, and follow-up time were recorded. The time of union and the presence of malunion were evaluated radiologically. Finally, patients were assessed clinically with the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) and leg length discrepancy (LLD) calculated through measurements made on lower extremity orthoroentgenograms.

RESULTS: The rate of vascular injury and the number of Gustilo-Anderson type IIIB and IIIC cases were significantly higher in the two-stage treatment group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.000, respectively). The infection rate was also higher in the two-stage group; therefore, time to union was significantly longer (p = 0.004 and p = 0.05, respectively). LLD was higher among patients who received two-stage treatment (p = 0.015). According to the NISS scale used in clinical assessment, better scores were obtained for the one-stage group (p = 0.002). In comparisons made according to anatomical location, no significant difference was found between femur and tibia injuries.

CONCLUSION: Regardless of anatomical location and treatment method, injuries of higher severity such as Gustilo-Anderson type IIIB and IIIC are correlated with higher rates of complications such as vascular injury, postoperative infection, delayed union, and LLD. Furthermore, in cases of severe injuries, a two-stage approach is commonly favored.