Complication rates following operative treatment of calcaneus fractures.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to report the short-term complication rates and mid-term subtalar fusion rates following operative management of calcaneal fractures. METHODS This is a retrospective study of Californians undergoing operative treatment of a calaneus fracture from 1995 to 2005. The main outcomes reported are readmission for a short-term complication within 90 days of surgery and reoperation for subtalar fusion during the observation period. RESULTS We identified 4481 patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of their fracture as inpatients within 30 days of the index admission. The short-term rate of complications included a 90-day rate of readmission of 1.03% for wound infection, 0.25% for thromboembolic disease, and 0.22% for mortality. The mid-term rate of subtalar fusion was 3.49% at 5 years post-operatively. CONCLUSIONS This study reports the short-term complication rates and mid-term subtalar fusion rates following operative management of calcaneal fractures using population-based data.