• Dominik Baschera, Doug Kingwell, Michael Wren, and René Zellweger.
• Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
• ANZ J Surg. 2014 Oct 1;84(10):776-80.

BackgroundThe Ilizarov external fixator (IEF) is used in the treatment of complicated fractures with severe soft tissue damage. Despite advantages of being minimally invasive and allowing early weight-bearing, the IEF has limitations, including size, treatment duration and crucial pin-site care. Many patients showed enormous resilience despite the devastating effects of their injuries. Our aim was to assess the value of IEF treatment for trauma patients with a focus on their quality of life.MethodsA postal survey was administered to 89 patients treated with an IEF at a level 1 trauma centre between January 2000 and June 2009. An SF-12 health survey was incorporated to measure quality of life. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data.ResultsThe response rate was 73%. The majority of patients (77%) were treated with IEF for primary fractures. The median duration in IEF was 174 days (56-614 days). The SF-12 mean mental component score was 51 (16-66) and the mean physical component score was 38 (16-57) at the time of survey. The mental component score was similar to that of a normal population but the physical component score was markedly below. A total of 96.8% respondents were satisfied with the IEF treatment and 91.7% reported that under the same circumstances they would have the same treatment again.ConclusionsPatient's quality of life scores correlated directly with their injury severity and pre-existing conditions. They were not negatively affected by IEF treatment itself. High quality of life scores (non-physical) were achieved with IEF treatment.© 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

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