What is an open or compound fracture?
A. An open fracture occurs when the soft tissues around the bone are violated and there is many times direct exposure of bone to the environment. This is a serious condition for many reasons. First of all, there is a high likelihood if not treated correctly that infection can occur. A deep bone infection is one of the most serious infections we deal with. This is called osteomyelitis or chronic bone infection. A second problem with open fractures is delayed healing or non union. This occurs when the fracture does not heal in a timely fashion or does not heal at all.
