Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 May;87(5):716-9.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.87B5.15623.

The care of pin sites with external fixation

R Davies  1 , N Holt, S Nayagam
Affiliations

The care of pin sites with external fixation

R Davies et al. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2005 May.

Abstract

Two protocols for the operative technique and care of the pin-site with external fixation were compared prospectively. There was a total of 120 patients with 46 in group A and 74 in group B. Infection was defined as an episode of pain or inflammation at a pin site, accompanied by a discharge which was either positive on bacterial culture or responded to a course of antibiotics. Patients in group B had a lower proportion of infected pin sites (p = 0.003) and the time to the first episode of infection was longer (p < 0.001). The risk of pin-site infection is lower if attention is paid to avoiding thermal injury and local formation of haematoma during surgery and if after-care includes the use of an alcoholic antiseptic and occlusive pressure dressings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • The care of pin sites with external fixation.
    Sian PS, Britten S, Duffield B. Sian PS, et al. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2006 Apr;88(4):558. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.88B4.17636. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2006. PMID: 16567797 No abstract available.