Managing Pin Tracts in Open Tibial Fractures: The Role of Medical Waste Rubber Bung

Yi Hu,1 Yu Peng,1 Kaihu Li,2 Jun Zhang1 1Department of Orthopaedics, Changde Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (The First People’s Hospital of Changde City), Changde, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jun Zhang, Email [email protected]: This study aims to assess the effect of using medical waste rubber bung (MWRB) for pin-tract management in patients with open tibial fractures treated with external fixators (EFs).Methods: A retrospective analysis of 91 patients with open tibial fractures admitted to our hospital over a three-year period was conducted to compare and statistically characterize overall PTI incidence, PTI rate across five different pin-tract locations, time (days) to the first occurrence of infection, and Checketts-Otterburn classification.Results: Among the enrolled 91 patients, 88 met the criteria. After excluding deaths and losses to follow-up, they were divided into two study groups, with no significant difference in overall PTI incidence. Group A exhibited a significantly lower rate of severe infection and prolonged time to initial infection compared to Group B (both P < 0.05). Group A also had a significantly lower rate of PTI at the tibial telangiectasia than Group B.Conclusion: The study underscores that compression in EF management is necessary to significantly reduce the incidence of severe PTIs, especially in the tibial metaphysis, and to delay the onset of initial infection among patients with open tibial fractures.Keywords: compression, external fixator, medical waste rubber bung, open tibial fracture, pin site infection, pin-tract infection