Abstract
Is external fixation best applied immediately following injury or after a period in traction? When, if ever, in the course of fracture healing, should a fixator be replaced with a cast or orthosis? To what extent will early replacement with a cast speed fracture healing and reduce pin tract problems? Now that the use of external fixation has become widespread in the treatment of open fractures, questions concerning the optimum timing for its application and duration emerge with increasing frequency. Whereas we do not have the data to answer many of these questions conclusively, laboratory studies and extensive clinical experience with external fixation at the University of Maryland and other trauma centers can give us some general guidelines. In this paper I will explore the optimum timing for external fixation as to its application and its duration.
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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Edwards, C.C. (1982). The Timing of External Fixation. In: Uhthoff, H.K., Stahl, E. (eds) Current Concepts of External Fixation of Fractures. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68448-7_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68448-7_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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