Tibial fractures associated with civilian gunshot injuries

Forty patients with 41 fractures of the tibia produced by civilian gunshot injuries were reviewed. The usual patient was male, 28 years of age, and had been shot by an unknown assailant. Thirty-two of the 41 fractures (78%) were the result of low-energy missiles (less than 500 foot pounds or 680 Nm) while six (15%) were from intermediate (500 to 1,200 foot pounds or 680-1,627 Nm) and three (7%) from high-energy missiles (greater than 1,200 foot pounds or 1,627 Nm). Characteristic fracture patterns for the low energy group consisted of the drill hole, unicortical, oblique, spiral, butterfly, and comminuted. All of the intermediate- and high-energy missiles produced highly comminuted fractures. Intermediate- and high-energy missile injuries resulted in significantly longer initial hospitalization, higher incidence of fibular fracture, neurologic deficit, type 2 or 3 wound, and a higher incidence of infection. The time to fracture union was also higher with these injuries, even though the two nonunions in the series occurred with low-energy missiles. Factors other than the energy of the missile, however, may have contributed to the healing failure in those two patients. These factors included an intact fibula in one and advanced age in the other.