Initial surgical management of injuries to the lower extremities in patients with multiple and/or severe injuries - A systematic review and clinical practice guideline update

PurposeOur aim was to develop new evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations for the initial inhospital management of lower-extremity injuries in patients with multiple and/or severe trauma. This guideline topic is part of the 2022 update of the German Guideline on the Treatment of Patients with multiple and/or severe Injuries.MethodsMEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched to May 2021. Randomised controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, and comparative registry studies were included if they compared interventions for the initial surgical and non-surgical management of fractures, dislocations or vascular injuries of the lower extremities in patients with multiple and/or severe trauma. We considered patient-relevant clinical outcomes such as mortality, complication rates, length of stay, and function. Risk of bias was assessed using NICE 2012 checklists. The evidence was synthesised narratively, and expert consensus was used to develop recommendations and determine their strength.ResultsEleven studies were identified. They addressed time to definitive fixation (n = 10 studies) and amputation (n = 1). Two new recommendations were developed, one was modified. All recommendations achieved strong consensus.ConclusionThis systematic literature review and subsequent expert consensus process resulted in the following new key recommendations. It is recommended that isolated and multiple lower-extremity fractures are managed with primary definitive fixation in patients whose condition is stable. Patients condition is not considered stable should be managed with primary temporary fixation. In addition, it is recommended that dislocations of the lower extremities are reduced and immobilised as early as possible.