Pathophysiology

• Result of traumatic injury to the bones and soft tissue from imposed energy.
• When the skin tears, it creates a vacuum effect that pulls the surrounding debris into the wound. Foreign material and dirt and the pathogens that come along with it can be deposited into deep intramuscular and bone cortex.
• Skin tear is not treated and managed, nosocomial bacteria continue to threaten the wound.
•  Open fractures and its consequences such as infection that may lead to serious complications such as non-union of wounds and osteomyelitis occur because the exposed tissues serve as a rich culture medium with limited resistance to bacterial invasion.

The most common pathogens associated with fractures are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp.