Open Tibia Fractures: Prevalence and patterns among patients presenting with major osseous injuries at Mulago National Referral Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Open tibia fractures are common presentations in musculoskeletal injuries. Despite the high burden, the specifics about the prevalence and patterns that could inform appropriate planning and resource mobilization to mitigate the complications of open tibia fractures are unknown. The study evaluated the prevalence, clinical and radiological patterns of open tibia fractures in patients with major osseous injuries at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Patients with major osseous injuries were consecutively sampled and those who consented to the study were enrolled and had their injury patterns assessed using a pretested questionnaire. Data was entered in a pre-designed EPIDATA 3.1 then exported to STATA 14.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze clinical and radiological patterns; bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out by cross tabulation of Gustilo grades and radiological AO types. A p-value of <0.05 was statistically significant. Results: The prevalence was 23.7%; the mean age of patients was 32.5 years. Males and females constituted: 76.5% and 23.5 % of injuries respectively. Road traffic accidents caused 86.6% of injuries. Pedestrians were the most injured at 43.7 %. Gustilo IIIA accounted for 39.7%.AO Type B predominated at 48.7 %. AO type B and C fracture patterns were significantly associated with Gustilo II and III. Conclusion: Gustilo III was the most prevalent grade at 55.9% and AO type B fractures accounted for 51.8 %. AO/OTA types corresponded with Gustilo grades.