Treatment and Outcome of Ankle Fractures at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital

Abstract

Background: Ankle fractures are common and protocols for their management are generally well established. Despite this, a significant proportion of the patients get unfavourable outcomes after being managed for this injury. This study looked at the treatment options offered and their outcome at our unit. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted to examine ankle fracture patients presenting at our unit from 1st November 2009 to 30th April 2011. All patients were followed up was for 6 months where clinical and radiological evaluations recorded to determine outcome. Results: The mean age of patients was 47years with the ratio of female to male being 1.5:1. An infection rate of 10% in patients treated by ORIF and 33.3% in open fractures was documented. At 6 months follow up, there was a higher rate of complications in the unstable fractures treated non-operatively (92.3%) compared to unstable fractures treated surgically (37.7%) (p. 0.001). Conclusion: The rate of infection after surgical management was high and measures are required to mitigate this. The unstable ankle fractures treated nonoperatively have a high rate of complications and should be managed operatively.