Incidence of pin track infections in children's fractures treated with Kirschner wire fixation

Smooth Kirschner wires (K-wires) are frequently used in pediatric orthopaedics; however, the infection rate associated with these devices is not known. A retrospective study on infection rates in pediatric patients who had fractures treated with percutaneous smooth K-wire fixation was performed. A total of 202 patients with an average age of 9.7 years were included in the study. Upper extremity fractures made up 93% of the cases. The overall infection rate was 7.9%. The classification system of Green was used to describe major and minor infections. There were 16 infections noted; 12 (5.9%) of these were minor, and 4 (2%) were major. Infection rates did not correlate with length of fixation. There was also no correlation of increased infection rates with open fractures or fractures that required open reduction. The infection rates associated with the use of smooth K-wires in pediatric fracture patients is low. The major infection rate is only 2% and does not correlate to length of fixation or type of fracture.