Incidence of Fracture-Related Infection Among Adult Trauma Patients Undergoing Operative Fracture Fixation A Prospective Cohort Study at the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Unit, Assiut University Hospital

September 26, 2026 updated by: Ahmed Osama Ali Galal, Assiut University

Fracture-related infection (FRI) is an infection occurring after operative or non-operative management of a fracture, and it represents one of the most serious complications encountered in orthopaedic trauma surgery. In 2018, an international expert group convened by the AO Foundation and the European Bone and Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) published a consensus definition for FRI, establishing standardized confirmatory and suggestive diagnostic criteria to overcome the historical absence of a uniform case definition, which had previously hampered both clinical practice and comparability of research in this field.

  • FRI can complicate both open and closed fractures treated by internal or external fixation. Its clinical spectrum ranges from early post-operative wound infection to chronic, recalcitrant post traumatic osteomyelitis, fracture non-union and, in severe cases, amputation of the affected limb.
  • The burden of FRI is multidimensional and falls on the patient, the treating surgical team, and the wider community

Reported incidence of FRI varies widely according to fracture type, anatomical site and host/injury-severity factors. Pooled estimates from the literature suggest an overall incidence of approximately 0.4-16% across all operatively treated fractures: closed fractures carry a substantially lower risk (approximately 1-2%) than open fractures, in which incidence commonly exceeds 15% and rises further with increasing severity of soft-tissue and bony injury.

A large multicentre cohort from India applying prospective follow-up reported an overall infection incidence of 2.9% (1.6% in closed and 8.0% in open tibial fractures)

. Risk is further modulated by patient-related factors (diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity, immunosuppression), injury related factors (high-energy mechanism, soft-tissue compromise, contamination) and treatment related factors (timing of antibiotic prophylaxis and surgical debridement, type of fixation, duration of surgery)

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
375

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

patient with Open or closed fracture of the appendicular skeleton (long bones, hand, foot, pelvis/acetabulum) requiring operative fixation in the trauma theatre of the unit

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Open or closed fracture of the appendicular skeleton (long bones, hand, foot, pelvis/acetabulum) requiring operative fixation in the trauma theatre of the unit
  • Surgery performed at the Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Unit, Assiut University Hospital, during the study period
  • Patient (or legal guardian, where temporary incapacity precludes immediate consent) willing and able to provide informed consent and to participate in scheduled follow-up

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pathological fractures secondary to malignancy or to metabolic bone disease other than simple osteoporosis (different infection biology and risk profile)

    • Periprosthetic fractures, or fractures around a pre-existing implant/prosthesis (risk of misclassification with periprosthetic joint infection, which has its own distinct consensus definition)
    • Fractures of the skull, and of the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine (excluded by precedent in the FRI validation literature, given differing anatomy, infection biology and applicability of the consensus criteria)
    • Patients presenting with infection already established at the fracture site prior to, or at the time of, the index surgery at our unit (e.g., late transfer from another facility with a pre existing diagnosis of infection) - excluded to preserve ascertainment of incident (new) rather than prevalent infection
    • Fractures managed non-operatively (conservatively)
    • Death within 48 hours of surgery from a cause unrelated to infection, precluding any meaningful infection follow-up
    • Non-resident patients (e.g., without a reliable local follow-up address) in whom completion of the minimum follow-up period cannot reasonably be assured

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: COHORT
  • Time Perspectives: PROSPECTIVE

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
study group

Adults aged ≥18 years with Open or closed fracture of the appendicular skeleton (long bones, hand, foot, pelvis/acetabulum) requiring operative fixation in the trauma theatre of the unit

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of fracture-related infection
Time Frame: within 12 months of the index operative fixation

Incidence of fracture-related infection, diagnosed using the international FRI consensus criteria in Trauma unit assiut university hospital, expressed as a proportion (%) with 95% confidence interval - overall, and stratified by fracture type (open/closed) and Gustilo-Anderson grade for open fractures.
within 12 months of the index operative fixation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Incidence Fracture +Infection

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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