Knee sepsis may be rare across tibial fracture care

Investigators documented acute knee sepsis after both intra- and extra-articular nailing of open tibial shaft fractures.

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Acute knee sepsis is rare after intramedullary nailing of open tibial shaft fractures, occurring in 0.7% of cases.
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The study analyzed 293 patients with 295 fractures treated at two Level I trauma centers from 2010 to 2023.
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Knee sepsis rates were 1.1% for intra-articular nailing and 0.5% for extra-articular nailing, with no significant difference.
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Deep infections occurred in 9% of both nailing approaches, while superficial infections were 4% for intra-articular and 5% for extra-articular.
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The study's limitations include its retrospective design, small number of sepsis events, and a minimum follow-up of 3 months.

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