Abstract
Injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with musculoskeletal trauma representing 11% of the current Global Burden of Disease. Notably, over 90% of these injuries occur in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), disproportionately impacting those in lesser-resourced settings, where trauma care is less accessible. A major contributor to this Global Burden is road traffic accidents, which continue to increase annually, leading to high rates of musculoskeletal injuries, including open tibia fractures. Latin America, a region primarily made up of LMICs, has the highest rates of road traffic fatalities per capita worldwide. As a result, open tibia fractures are a significantly problematic regional health issue, with a high rate of incidence, risk of complications, and associated poor long-term outcomes. Despite the prevalence and severity of these injuries, the current state of management of open tibia fractures in Latin America is not well documented. This is largely due to a lack of published orthopaedic trauma studies, limiting the understanding of the region’s musculoskeletal burden and ability to develop management strategies for trauma-related conditions. There is a clear need for population-specific research on the management of open tibia fractures in Latin America. The purpose of this thesis was to 1) identify barriers to conducting clinical research, 2) define regional priorities and the management of open tibia fractures, and 3) address the treatment of these injuries through interventions and best practice guidelines.
Original language | English |
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Award date | 30 Nov 2023 |
Place of Publication | Rotterdam |
Publication status | Published - 30 Nov 2023 |