Orthopaedic Implants And Prosthesis: Economic Costs Of Post-Operative Wound Infection

OBJECTIVE: To assess the economic impact of post-operative wound infection in trauma patients who had open reduction and internal fixation with implants and prostheses following fractures of the femur. METHOD: This is a 2-year case controlled prospective study carried out at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos. Patients who had ORIF for femoral fractures with plate/screws, Kuntscher nails or Austin-Moore endo- prosthesis were recruited bases on strict inclusion criteria. Infection was diagnosed using the epidemiological criteria defined by the National Research Council. Matched controls were manually selected for patients who developed POWI. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-one patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria out which 17 developed POWI (rate 6.8%). Each of these was matched with a control. Thirty-four patients were therefore recruited into the study. There were 17 males and 17 females (M:F=I:I).The mean age for the test group was 49.2 (20-76)years and the control was 49.6(21-82)years. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the matched parameters. Mean duration of post-operative hospitalization was 38.80 days for the test and 20.60 days for the controls (