Atif Rafique, Shahab Ghani, Moiz Sadiq, Intisar Ahmed Siddiqui.
Kirschner wire pin tract infection rates between percutaneous and buried wires in treating metacarpal and phalangeal fractures.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;16(8):518-20.

Objective: To compare pin tract infection rate between percutaneous and buried placement of Kirschner (K-) wiring for hand fractures. Study Design: Quasi – experimental study. Place and Duration: Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand and Burn Surgery Unit, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from September 2005 – February 2006. Patients and Methods: Patients with fractures of metacarpals and phalanges of hand were selected by non-probability purposive method. Assessment of pin tract infection by clinical examination and pin tract scoring was done by modification of Oppenheim classification. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: Ten out of 55 percutaneous and 2 out of 45 buried wires were infected. The difference in infection rates of two groups was statistically significant at p < 0.05. Three percutaneous, but not buried Kirschner wires, had to be removed before 4 weeks because of failure to respond to local wound care and oral antibiotics. Conclusion: Percutaneous K- wires had significantly greater infection rate than wires which were buried deep to the skin.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com