Open tibial shaft fractures. Treatment with intramedullary nailing after provisional stabilization with non penetrating external fixator()

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of union, nonunion, deep infection and factors influencing the time of bone healing in the treatment of open tibial shaft fractures Gustilo and Anderson types I and II initially treated with a non penetrating external fixator (Pinless(®)) followed by an unreamed intramedullary locked nail (UTN(®)). METHODS: It is a prospective study of 39 open tibial shaft fractures. According to the AO classification, 16 patients (41.0%) were type A, 17 (43.6%) were type B and six (15.4%) were type C. According to the Gustilo and Anderson classification, 14 patients (35.9%) were type I and 25 (64.1%) were type II. For the definitive stabilization of the fracture were used an unreamed intramedulary locked nail (UTN(®)). RESULTS: Bone healing was achieved in 97.4% of the cases, with a mean time of 21.2 weeks, ranging from 12 to 104 weeks. Deep infection was seen in 2.6% patients and malunion were seen in 5.1%. Only the presence of complications were statistically significant to the time of bone healing, with a risk of faster healing in patients without complications of 4.29 times (CI 95%: 1.25–14.71) comparing to patients with complications. CONCLUSION: The treatment of open tibial shaft fractures with unreamed intramedullary locked nail allows high rates of bone healing, low rates of nonunion and deep infection, and only the presence of complications is statistically significant to the time of bone healing.