Socioeconomic position is associated with surgical treatment of open fractures of the lower limb: results from a Swedish population-based study.

Background and purpose - High-energy trauma to the lower limbs can result in open fractures, treated by reconstructive surgery or amputation. We examined whether socioeconomic position is associated with choice of primary treatment.Patients and methods - We performed a nationwide population-based study using the Swedish National Patient Register to identify all adult patients who between 1998 and 2013 underwent reconstruction or amputation after an open fracture below the knee.

Effects of a formalized collaboration between plastic and orthopedic surgeons in severe extremity trauma patients; a retrospective study.

Background: Severe trauma to the extremities often includes a combination of fractures and soft tissue injuries. Several publications support that the patient outcome is better when skeletal stabilization is followed by early soft-tissue coverage. In an effort to optimize the treatment of these patients, we established a formalized collaboration in 2008 between the Departments of reconstructive plastic surgery and orthopedics at the Karolinska University Hospital.