External Fixation
Pins inserted into bone above and below a fracture and connected to an external frame provide rapid, reliable stabilisation — used when internal fixation is unsafe or impossible due to open injury, contamination, or soft tissue compromise.
What is External Fixation?
External fixation uses threaded metal pins or half-pins inserted into the bone proximal and distal to a fracture and attached to a rigid frame positioned outside the limb. The frame holds the fracture in alignment without any metalwork at the fracture site, leaving the surrounding soft tissues and wound accessible. This makes external fixation the preferred first-stage treatment in damage control orthopaedics — allowing rapid fracture stabilisation in multiply injured patients before definitive fixation, and the only option when infection or significant soft tissue contamination makes internal implant insertion unsafe. Dr. Sai Kishan applies external fixation at Lux Hospitals as part of a comprehensive trauma management strategy.
How the Procedure Works
Anaesthesia & Frame Planning
General or spinal anaesthesia; the fracture is assessed and the pin entry positions proximal and distal to the fracture are planned to avoid neurovascular structures.
Pin Insertion Through Safe Corridors
Pins or half-pins are inserted into the bone through small stab incisions at planned safe zones under fluoroscopic confirmation.
Frame Assembly & Rod Connection
Pins are connected to modular frame components — clamps, connecting rods, and carbon bars — assembled to span and stabilise the fracture.
Fracture Reduction & Alignment Confirmation
The frame connections are adjusted to achieve satisfactory fracture alignment; final fluoroscopic views confirm adequate position.
Wound Management & Pin Site Dressing
Open wounds are managed simultaneously; pin sites are dressed and the patient is instructed in daily pin care and weight-bearing guidance.
Outcomes
Who Needs This Treatment?
- →Provides immediate fracture stabilisation without metalwork at the fracture site
- →Allows simultaneous management of open wounds and soft tissue injuries
- →Rapid application — ideal for damage control stabilisation in polytrauma patients
- →Fully reversible — convertible to internal fixation once soft tissue conditions allow
- →Safe in infected or contaminated environments where internal implants are contraindicated
- →Significantly reduces pain and bleeding by stabilising unstable fragments early
External fixation in the context of damage control orthopaedics is about buying time — stabilising the fracture, protecting the patient, and creating the biological and physiological conditions that make definitive reconstruction possible.
— — Dr. Sai Kishan Sirasala, Knee and Hip Joint Replacement & Robotic Surgery
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Not sure which treatment is right for you?
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