Epidemiological study on calcaneus fractures in a tertiary hospital

Objective

To analyze the epidemiology and characteristics of patients with calcaneus fractures.

Methods

This is a retrospective revision of patients with calcaneus fractures hospitalized in the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of this institution between 2006 and 2010. Data such as age, gender, laterality, trauma mechanism, type of fracture, associated injuries, compound fractures, and time from injury to surgery were analyzed.

Results

The analysis of 52 patients showed that men were more commonly affected than women, at a ratio of 5.5:1. Bilateral fractures were observed in ten cases, resulting in a total of 62 calcaneus fractures. A fall from a height was the most frequent trauma mechanism (75%), followed by motorcycle accidents (11.5%) and automobile accidents (9.6%). The most frequent fractures were intra-articular, with 47 cases. Compound fractures were observed in 15 patients (28.9%). Non-surgical management was adopted for 11 patients while 41 patients underwent surgery. The mean time between trauma and the definitive treatment was 7.8 days (range: 0–21 days), and 58.5% of cases were treated within seven days.

Conclusion

Patients with calcaneus fractures, most commonly young men, were admitted to a high complexity care hospital, victims of a fall from a height with associated injuries. The great severity of these fractures is characterized by the high prevalence of bilateral (19.2%) and compound fractures (28.9%) in this population group.