Comparison study of patient demographics and risk factors for surgical site infections following open reduction and internal fixation for lateral malleolar ankle fractures within the medicare population

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze a comprehensive database to 1) compare patient demographic profiles; and 2) identify patient-related risk factors for surgical site infections (SSIs) following open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for lateral malleolar ankle fractures. Methods: Patients treated with ORIF for lateral malleolar ankle fractures that developed SSIs within 1year following the procedure were identified. Study group demographics were compared to a control cohort and risks for developing SSI were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: There were statistically significant differences between the control group and patients with SSIs. The study showed that morbidly obese patients, peripheral vascular disease, and electrolyte/fluid imbalance were the greatest risk factors for developing SSIs following ORIF for lateral malleolar fractures. Conclusion: The study is useful as it can allow orthopaedists to optimize these high-risk patients to potentially mitigate this adverse event. (c) 2020 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.