Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Fasciotomy is the standard of care to treat acute compartment syndrome (ACS). Although fasciotomies often prevent serious complications, postoperative complications can be notable. Surgical site infection (SSI) in these patients is as high as 30%. The objective of this study was to determine factors that increase the risk of SSI in patients with ACS. METHODS: A retrospective review of 142 patients with compartment syndrome over 10 years was done. We collected basic demographics, mechanism of trauma, time to fasciotomy, incidence of SSI, use of prophylactic antibiotics, and type and time to wound closure. Statistical analysis of continuous variables was done using the Student t-test, ANOVA, multivariable regression model, and categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients with ACS (17.6%) developed infection that required additional treatment. In the multivariate regression model, there were significant differences in median time to closure in patients with infection versus those without, odds ratio: 1.06 (Confidence Interval 95% [1.00 to 1.11]), P = 0.036. No differences were observed in infection based on the mechanism of injury, wound management modality, or the presence of associated diagnoses. CONCLUSION: In patients with ACS, the time to closure after fasciotomy is associated with the incidence of SSI. There seems to be a golden period for closure at 4 to 5 days after fasciotomy. The ability to close is often limited by multiple factors, but the correlation between time to closure and infection in this study suggests that it is worth exploring different closure methods if the wound cannot be closed primarily within the given timeframe.