Purpose: Pilon fractures demonstrate complex osseous and soft tissue injury. Protocols involving immediate tibial reduction and external fixation, with or without fibular fixation, then delayed definitive fixation result in decreased complications. Our purpose was to evaluate the treatment course of pilon fractures provisionally stabilised at outside institutions and subsequently transferred, focusing on the incidence and reasons for revision procedures, and subsequent complication rates.

Method: An institutional trauma database was retrospectively reviewed, demonstrating 668 pilon fractures treated at our institution between 2000–2007. Of these, 39 patients with 42 fractures had a temporising surgical procedure prior to referral. Demographics, injury characteristics, reason for revision, and subsequent complications were determined. Clinical follow-up averaged 60 weeks (range, 1 to 281).

Results: Mean age was 41 years (range, 18–78). Twenty-two fractures (52%) were open; 38 (90%) demonstrated a fractured fibula. Referral occurred an average of 5.8 days (range, 1–20) after initial stabilization. Pre-transfer fixation was revised in 40 fractures (95%). Reasons for revision included tibial malreduction (33 fractures, 83%), fibular malreduction (4 fractures, 10%), pins in the proposed incision (5 fractures, 13%), or loose pins (3 fractures, 8%). Of the 34 fractures with distal pins, 24 (71%) required revision for pin malposition, loosening, drainage, talar placement, or extraosseous placement. Late complications occurred in 14 fractures (33%), including deep infection in 10 (24%), and non-union in 3 (7%). Twenty-three patients (55%) required additional procedures following definitive fixation, including 9 soft tissue coverage procedures and 3 amputations.

Conclusion: The majority of patients with pilon fractures treated with provisional stabilisation followed by referral to our institution required revision prior to definitive fixation. This resulted in many avoidable additional procedures, and a higher complication rate than recent contemporary controls. The authors recommend that, when possible, the initial and definitive management of these injuries be performed at the accepting institution.

As the population ages, we can expect to see more elderly patients with calcaneal fractures. Age alone does not reflect a person’s health or functional status, and should not, therefore, be used as a contraindication to surgical fixation. We report on the management of all patients over 65 years with calcaneal fractures receiving treatment at our institution over a 14-year period.

Seventy-three patients > 65 years old with 76 calcaneal fractures treated from 1990 to 2004 were identified from a trauma database. A review of clinical notes was performed; demographics, co-morbidities, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, and management data were collected. For patients receiving operative treatment the fracture classification, operative indications, treatment and outcomes were reviewed.

Twenty-seven patients with 29 fractures were treated without fixation, and 46 patients with 47 fractures were treated with fracture fixation. When compared with non-operatively treated patients, those treated operatively had lower mean injury severity scores (8.9 vs. 17.2) and fewer mean co-morbidities (1.0 vs. 2.2).

Fractures were treated operatively either with an extensile lateral approach, small incision fixation, or a push screw. Follow-up (two weeks to 50 months) was available on all patients treated operatively, and radiographic follow-up was available on 32 patients. Wound infection and persistent drainage was seen in three and two patients, respectively. There was one non-union. One subtalar fusion was required. Eleven patients subsequently required plate removal.

This retrospective review demonstrates that operative treatment of calcaneal fractures in carefully selected, elderly patients can result in good outcomes with acceptable complication rates. The complication profile for patients over 65 with calcaneus fractures appears to be similar to younger patients.