Complications and the Time to Repair of Mandible Fractures

Objective: Treatment delays in the operative management of mandible fractures are often unavoidable. We were interested in determining whether delays increased the incidence of complications in these patients. Study Design and Setting: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Laryngoscope 2005-05, Vol.115 (5), p.769-772
Main Authors: Biller, Jason A., Pletcher, Steven D., Goldberg, Andrew N., Murr, Andrew H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Complications
Female
Humans
Incidence
Internal Fixators
Jaw Fixation Techniques
Male
mandible fractures
Mandibular Injuries - complications
Mandibular Injuries - epidemiology
Mandibular Injuries - surgery
Medical sciences
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Postoperative Complications
Retrospective Studies
substance abuse
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Surgical Wound Infection - epidemiology
Time Factors
timing to repair
treatment delay
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Summary:Objective: Treatment delays in the operative management of mandible fractures are often unavoidable. We were interested in determining whether delays increased the incidence of complications in these patients. Study Design and Setting: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who presented to the San Francisco General Hospital with an operative mandible fracture in 2002. On the basis of the number of days from initial injury to surgery, the patients were divided into two groups: those repaired in 3 days or less and those repaired after 3 days. The incidence of infectious and technical complications was then compared between these groups. Substance abuse was also evaluated for its role in complication risk. Results: Of the 84 patients in the study, 11 had infectious complications, and 10 had technical complications. Although treatment delay did not increase the risk of developing an infectious complication, substance abuse considerably increased this risk. The incidence of technical complications was remarkably higher in patients repaired after 3 days. Conclusion: Although patients with mandible fractures treated after 3 days do not have a higher risk of developing an infectious complication, this risk is elevated in patients who abuse substances regularly. The risk of technical complications increases with treatment delay, and therefore the surgical team must be even more vigilant when reducing these fractures.
ISSN:0023-852X
1531-4995
DOI:10.1097/01.MLG.0000157328.10583.A7