The sooner the better? Patients’ satisfaction following ortho-plastic treatment of lower limb open fractures within and after one week from injury

Lower limb open fractures (LLOF) treatment still represents a major challenge. The timing for flap reconstruction remains controversial, especially the ideal timing for wound coverage, despite being considered essential for limb salvage. In this retrospective study, we reviewed our experience with microsurgical reconstruction of LLOF, comparing two timings of definitive wound coverage by free flaps. We conducted a single-centre retrospective study at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of Cattinara University Hospital in Trieste (Italy). From January 2008 to May 2017 all patients with LLOF requiring the ortho-plastic approach (fracture fixation by orthopedic surgeons and free flap closure of soft tissue defects by plastic surgeons) were included.