Immediate internal fixation of open ankle fractures. Report of thirty-eight cases treated with a standard protocol.

We reviewed thirty-eight cases of open ankle fractures that had been treated with a standard protocol: alignment and splinting of the fracture at the scene of injury if possible, antibiotics administered in the emergency room and continued for forty-eight hours, admission of the patient to the operating room as quickly as possible, copious irrigation and thorough débridement of the wound, immediate rigid anatomical internal fixation, and delayed primary closure at five days. All of the fractures united, but three patients required subsequent ankle fusion because of cartilage damage noted at the initial operation. Of the thirty-five ankles with complete follow-up, the functional result was excellent in twenty-six and fair or poor in nine.