Posttraumatic orthopaedic wound infections can occur and when they do they may cause significant morbidity and cost to patients. Orthopaedic wound infections must be recognized as early as possible to afford patients the best chances of recovery. Wound infections often require repeat hospitalization(s), operative revision(s), infectious disease consultation, physiological optimization, and an extended period of oral or intravenous antibiotics or both. An orthopaedic surgeon or caregiver must be cognizant of the patient's risk factors and appropriate preventive measures preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively to maximize best practices. By being aware of the clinical signs, symptoms, and best diagnostic tools, an orthopaedic surgeon will help decrease the morbidity and mortality from orthopaedic wound infections. The goals of this review article are to enhance the orthopaedic surgeon's knowledge in diagnosis and treatment of orthopaedic wound infections by providing an overview of the most up-to-date materials that will help in the recognition and definitive management of posttraumatic orthopaedic wound infections.

In recent years there have been an increasing number of case reports linking long-term bisphosphonate use with atypical fractures of the hip. This link led to a synthesis of the evidence regarding this relationship. On the basis of the results, a doctoral project called "Preventing Atypical Hip Fracture After Long-Term Bisphosphonate Use" was created. The tool termed HIPS developed by the project leader helps providers identify those patients who are at potential risk and refer them to their primary care providers when appropriate. The tool also helps educate patients about symptoms of atypical fracture. The goal was to improve preventive strategies of adult providers to screen for patients at risk of atypical hip fracture. Results showed that an educative session modeled around the HIPS tool improved provider awareness about the link between bisphosphonates and atypical hip fractures. An improved willingness to screen for risk, refer to primary care providers, and educate patients about the symptoms of atypical fractures also showed improvement.