Throughout history, there has been a fear of open tibial fractures due to the high incidence of infection potentially leading to amputation and death. Before the development of standardized surgical wound treatment and antisepsis, amputations were frequently required to prevent spread of sepsis and risk of death. Even today, this remains a challenging condition to treat. In recent years efforts have been made to develop new techniques and to promote new evidence based guidelines for the management of these injuries. The cooperation between orthopaedic and plastic surgeons together with the use of modern surgical instruments and techniques and modern wound management has resulted in a dramatic reduction in infection rates in many parts of the developed and developing world.

Throughout history, there has been a fear of open tibial fractures due to the high incidence of infection potentially leading to amputation and death. Before the development of standardized surgical wound treatment and antisepsis, amputations were frequently required to prevent spread of sepsis and risk of death. Even today, this remains a challenging condition to treat. In recent years efforts have been made to develop new techniques and to promote new evidence based guidelines for the management of these injuries. The cooperation between orthopaedic and plastic surgeons together with the use of modern surgical instruments and techniques and modern wound management has resulted in a dramatic reduction in infection rates in many parts of the developed and developing world.