Annual Report to the Equality Commission 03-04 (PDF 212 KB)

The Department’s Equality Scheme makes explicit the Minister’s and top management’s commitment to fulfil the Department’s statutory equality duties. This commitment is integrated into the Department’s work and clearly seen in its planning processes. Objectives and targets relating to Section 75 obligations feature in the Department’s strategic and operational plans, and the annual business plans of Directorates and Branches. Officials, where appropriate, include specific equality related targets or actions in their personal objectives which are subject to appraisal in the annual performance review. åÊ

DHSSPS Statutory Equality Duties 2003 - 2004 (PDF 212 KB)

The Department’s Equality Scheme makes explicit the Minister’s and top management’s commitment to fulfil the Department’s statutory equality duties. This commitment is integrated into the Department’s work and clearly seen in its planning processes. Objectives and targets relating to Section 75 obligations feature in the Department’s strategic and operational plans, and the annual business plans of Directorates and Branches. Officials, where appropriate, include specific equality related targets or actions in their personal objectives which are subject to appraisal in the annual performance review. åÊ

PHA - improving cardiovascular services

?The Public Health Agency has identified ways of delivering cardiovascular services that will help to tackle health inequalities. These are described in a new "health impact assessment" report, launched on 1 June at the Maureen Sheehan Centre, Belfast.The PHA, in partnership with a wide variety of community, voluntary and statutory bodies, leads the work to improve cardiovascular health and wellbeing, through better prevention and treatment services, delivered through a 'cardiovascular service framework'. The result of a wide consultation, this new report will help to improve the way those services are delivered by focusing on the needs of disadvantaged people.Explaining the importance of this work, Dr Adrian Mairs, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, PHA, said: "The Public Health Agency was set up to tackle health inequalities and promote better health and wellbeing across Northern Ireland. Despite many improvements in prevention and treatment, cardiovascular diseases remain the main cause of death in Northern Ireland. We know that these diseases, including heart disease, stroke, circulation problems, diabetes and renal disease have a greater and more severe impact on people living in poverty. "This work will help us to reduce the health inequalities that exist in our society by improving the way cardiovascular services are developed and delivered, eg ensuring stop smoking services meet local needs, identifying and treating high blood pressure, and helping people to take their medicines properly."The health impact assessment has been developed from other work, including a literature review, cardiovascular health and wellbeing profile, and full technical report. All of these resources are available on the PHA website, under 'Directorates', 'Service Development and Screening'. The work will also be used to help the development of service frameworks covering other disease areas. Putting a health inequalities focus on Northern Ireland cardiovascular service framework - Summary report: www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/putting-health-inequalities-focu... health and wellbeing profile for Northern Ireland: www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/cardiovascular-health-and-wellbe... health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland - Literature review: www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/cardiovascular-health-and-wellbe... focus (newsletter): www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/hia-focus

PHA Corporate business plan 2011-2012

The PHA Corporate Business Plan 2011-2012 is based on the four core goals and the common themes from the Corporate Strategy 2011-2015 and sets out a corporate picture of how the goals will be taken forward in year one (2011-2012) in line with existing AMT and board direction.�All Directorates were involved in developing the Corporate Business Plan and it reflects the content of each of the Directorate business plans.�It identifies a number of measurable indicators taken from the DHSSPS Commissioning Directions 2011-2012, as well as from each of the Directorate business plans.The Corporate Business Plan was approved by AMT on 1 November and by the PHA board on 17 November. Quarterly monitoring reports on progress against the indicators will be brought to the PHA board.

ON THE ROLE OF PERIOD-2 IN THE CIRCADIAN AND HOMEOSTATIC REGULATION OF SLEEP

Humans spend one third of their life sleeping, then we could raise the basic question: Why do we sleep? Despite the fact that we still don't fully understand its function, we made much progress in understanding at different levels how sleep is regulated. One model suggests that sleep is regulated by two processes: a homeostatic process that tracks the need for sleep and by a circadian rhythm that determines the preferred time-of-day sleep occurs. At the molecular level circadian rhythms are a property of interlocking transcriptional regula-tors referred to as clock genes. The heterodimeric transcription factors BMAL1::CLOCK/NPAS2 drive the transcription of many target genes including the clock genes Cryptochome1 (Cry1), Cry2, Period1 (Per1), and Per2. The encoded CRY/PER proteins are transcriptional inhibitors of BMAL1::CLOCK/NPAS2 thereby providing negative feedback to their own transcription. These genes seem, however, also involved in sleep homeostasis because the brain expression of clock genes, es-pecially that of Per2, increase as a function of time-spent-awake and because mice lacking clock genes display altered sleep homeostasis. The aim of first part of my doctoral work has been to advance our understanding the link that exists between sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythms investigating a possible mechanism by which sleep deprivation could alter clock gene expression by quantifying DNA-binding of the core-clock genes BMAL1, CLOCK and NPAS2 to their target chromatin loci including the E-box enhancers of the Per2 promoter. We made use of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and quantitative poly-merase chain reaction (qPCR) to show that DNA-binding of CLOCK and BMAL1 to their target genes changes as a function of time-of-day in both liver and cerebral cortex. We then performed a 6h sleep deprivation (SD) and observed a significant decrease in DNA-binding of CLOCK and BMAL1 to Dbp. This is consistent with a decrease in Dbp mRNA levels after SD. The DNA-binding of NPAS2 and BMAL1 to Per2 was similarly decreased following SD. However, SD has been previously shown to in-crease Per2 expression in the cortex which seems paradoxical. Our results demonstrate that sleep-wake history can affect the molecular clock machinery directly at the level of the chromatin thereby altering the cortical expression of Dbp and Per2, and likely other targets. However, the precise dy-namic relationship between DNA-binding and mRNA expression, especially for Per2, remains elusive. The second aim of my doctoral work has been to perform an in depth characterization of cir-cadian rhythmicity, sleep architecture, analyze the response to SD in full null-Per2 knock-out (Per2-/-) mice, and Per1-/- mice, as well as their double knock-out offspring (Per1,2-/-) and littermate wildtype (Wt) mice. The techniques used include locomotor activity recording by passive infrared (PIR) sen-sors, EEG/EMG surgery, recording, and analysis, and cerebral cortex extraction and quantification of mRNA levels by qPCR. Under standard LD12:12 conditions, we found that wakefulness onset, as well as the time courses of clock gene expression in the brain and corticosterone plasma levels were ad-vanced by about 2h in Per2-/- mice compared to Wt mice. When released under constant dark condi-tions almost all Per2-/- mice (97%) became arrhythmic immediately. From these observations, we conclude that while Per2-/- mice seem to be able to anticipate dark onset, this does not result from a self-sustained circadian clock. Our results suggest instead that the earlier onset of activity results from a labile, not-self sustained 22h rhythm linked to light onset suggesting the existence of a light-driven rhythm. Analyses of sleep under LD12:12 conditions revealed that in both Per2-/- and Per1,2-/- mice the same sleep phenotypes are observed compared to Wt mice: increased NREM sleep frag-mentation and inability to adequately compensate the loss of NREM sleep. That suggests a possible role of PER2 in sleep consolidation and recovery.

Performance of Randomly Oriented, Fiber-Reinforced Roadway Soils, HR-211, 1982

Several primary techniques have been developed through which soil aggregate road material properties may be improved. Such techniques basically involve a mechanism of creating a continuous matrix system of soil and/or aggregate particles, interlocked through the use of some additive such as portland cement, lime, or bituminous products. Details by which soils are stabilized vary greatly, but they are dependent on the type of stabilizing agent and nature of the soil, though the overall approach to stabilization has the common feature that improvement is achieved by some mechanism(s) forcing individual particles to adhere to one another. This process creates a more rigid material, most often capable of resisting the influx of water during freezing, loss of strength due to high moisture content and particle dispersion during thawing, and loss of strength due to migration of fines and/or water by capillarity and pumping. The study reported herein, took a new and relatively different approach to strengthening of soils, i.e., improvement of roadway soils and/or soil-aggregate materials by structural reinforcement with randomly oriented fibers. The purpose of the study was to conduct a laboratory and field investigation into the potential of improving (a) soil-aggregate surfaced and subgrade materials, including those that are frost-prone and/or highly moisture susceptible, and (b) localized base course materials, by uniting such materials through fibrous reinforcement. The envisioned objective of the project was the development of a simple construction technique(s) that could be (a) applied on a selective basis to specific areas having a history of poor performance, or (b) used for improvement of potential base materials prior to surfacing. Little background information on such purpose and objective was available. Though the envisioned process had similarities to fibrous reinforced concrete, and to fibrous reinforced resin composites, the process was devoid of a cementitious binder matrix and thus highly dependent on the cohesive and frictional interlocking processes of a soil and/or aggregate with the fibrous reinforcement; a condition not unlike the introduction of reinforcing bars into a concrete sand/aggregate mixture without benefit of portland cement. Thus the study was also directed to answering some fundamental questions: (1) would the technique work; (2) what type or types of fibers are effective; (3) are workable fibers commercially available; and (4) can such fibers be effectively incorporated with conventional construction equipment, and employed in practical field applications? The approach to obtaining answers to these questions, was guided by the philosophy that an understanding of basic fundamentals was essential to developing a body of engineering knowledge, that would serve as the basis for eventual development of design procedures with fibrous products for the applications previously noted.

Non-resorbable glass fibre-reinforced composite with porous surface as bone substitute material: Experimental studies in vitro and in vivo focused on bone-implant interface

The development of load-bearing osseous implant with desired mechanical and surface properties in order to promote incorporation with bone and to eliminate risk of bone resorption and implant failure is a very challenging task. Bone formation and resoption processes depend on the mechanical environment. Certain stress/strain conditions are required to promote new bone growth and to prevent bone mass loss. Conventional metallic implants with high stiffness carry most of the load and the surrounding bone becomes virtually unloaded and inactive. Fibre-reinforced composites offer an interesting alternative to metallic implants, because their mechanical properties can be tailored to be equal to those of bone, by the careful selection of matrix polymer, type of fibres, fibre volume fraction, orientation and length. Successful load transfer at bone-implant interface requires proper fixation between the bone and implant. One promising method to promote fixation is to prepare implants with porous surface. Bone ingrowth into porous surface structure stabilises the system and improves clinical success of the implant. The experimental part of this work was focused on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) -based composites with dense load-bearing core and porous surface. Three-dimensionally randomly orientated chopped glass fibres were used to reinforce the composite. A method to fabricate those composites was developed by a solvent treatment technique and some characterisations concerning the functionality of the surface structure were made in vitro and in vivo. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed that the pore size and interconnective porous architecture of the surface layer of the fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) could be optimal for bone ingrowth. Microhardness measurements showed that the solvent treatment did not have an effect on the mechanical properties of the load-bearing core. A push-out test, using dental stone as a bone model material, revealed that short glass fibre-reinforced porous surface layer is strong enough to carry load. Unreacted monomers can cause the chemical necrosis of the tissue, but the levels of leachable resisidual monomers were considerably lower than those found in chemically cured fibre-reinforced dentures and in modified acrylic bone cements. Animal experiments proved that surface porous FRC implant can enhance fixation between bone and FRC. New bone ingrowth into the pores was detected and strong interlocking between bone and the implant was achieved.

Repair of segmental bone defects with fiber-reinforced composite: a study of material development and an animal model on rabbits

The Repair of segmental defects in load-bearing long bones is a challenging task because of the diversity of the load affecting the area; axial, bending, shearing and torsional forces all come together to test the stability/integrity of the bone. The natural biomechanical requirements for bone restorative materials include strength to withstand heavy loads, and adaptivity to conform into a biological environment without disturbing or damaging it. Fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) materials have shown promise, as metals and ceramics have been too rigid, and polymers alone are lacking in strength which is needed for restoration. The versatility of the fiber-reinforced composites also allows tailoring of the composite to meet the multitude of bone properties in the skeleton. The attachment and incorporation of a bone substitute to bone has been advanced by different surface modification methods. Most often this is achieved by the creation of surface texture, which allows bone growth, onto the substitute, creating a mechanical interlocking. Another method is to alter the chemical properties of the surface to create bonding with the bone – for example with a hydroxyapatite (HA) or a bioactive glass (BG) coating. A novel fiber-reinforced composite implant material with a porous surface was developed for bone substitution purposes in load-bearing applications. The material’s biomechanical properties were tailored with unidirectional fiber reinforcement to match the strength of cortical bone. To advance bone growth onto the material, an optimal surface porosity was created by a dissolution process, and an addition of bioactive glass to the material was explored. The effects of dissolution and orientation of the fiber reinforcement were also evaluated for bone-bonding purposes. The Biological response to the implant material was evaluated in a cell culture study to assure the safety of the materials combined. To test the material’s properties in a clinical setting, an animal model was used. A critical-size bone defect in a rabbit’s tibia was used to test the material in a load-bearing application, with short- and long-term follow-up, and a histological evaluation of the incorporation to the host bone. The biomechanical results of the study showed that the material is durable and the tailoring of the properties can be reproduced reliably. The Biological response - ex vivo - to the created surface structure favours the attachment and growth of bone cells, with the additional benefit of bioactive glass appearing on the surface. No toxic reactions to possible agents leaching from the material could be detected in the cell culture study when compared to a nontoxic control material. The mechanical interlocking was enhanced - as expected - with the porosity, whereas the reinforcing fibers protruding from the surface of the implant gave additional strength when tested in a bone-bonding model. Animal experiments verified that the material is capable of withstanding load-bearing conditions in prolonged use without breaking of the material or creating stress shielding effects to the host bone. A Histological examination verified the enhanced incorporation to host bone with an abundance of bone growth onto and over the material. This was achieved with minimal tissue reactions to a foreign body. An FRC implant with surface porosity displays potential in the field of reconstructive surgery, especially regarding large bone defects with high demands on strength and shape retention in load-bearing areas or flat bones such as facial / cranial bones. The benefits of modifying the strength of the material and adjusting the surface properties with fiber reinforcement and bone-bonding additives to meet the requirements of different bone qualities are still to be fully discovered.

Woodruff Family fonds, 1784 – 1983, (non-inclusive)

The Woodruff Family Collection: From the time the Woodruff Family came to Canada from the United States in 1795, they took an active role in the forming of their communities both in a civic and social manner. This is evident through the documents contained in this collection. The Woodruffs played an active role in the battles fought in Upper Canada and they were an integral part of the Village of St. Davids. They were educated, business-minded and socially engaged. They accumulated much of their fortune through land dealings. Much of this collection focuses on Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff who was principally a businessman. His dedication to his work is shown through his numerous undertakings. He made his mark on the Niagara Peninsula through his work on the railways, roads, marsh land revisions, canals and the paper industry. He was also involved with the founding of the Long Point Company and he took control of building DeVeaux Hall down to the last detail. His offspring inherited his work ethic and his business acumen. The people who married into the Woodruff Family also possessed key social, political and business ties. Anne and Margaret Clement were from a staunch Loyalist background. Samuel Zimmerman was instrumental to the founding of Niagara Falls and Judge Samuel DeVeaux left behind a legacy for poor and homeless boys in Niagara Falls, New York. The Woodruff Family undoubtedly left a mark on the Niagara Peninsula. This collection brings to light many endeavours of the family and their varied contributions.

Anéantir l’Autre monstrueux : entreprise narrative et corporelle de disparition dans Moi, l’interdite d’Ananda Devi

Le récit Moi, l’interdite, se présente comme une exception parmi les œuvres d’Ananda Devi en ce qu’il n’aborde pas de front ni implicitement le thème de la dissidence féminine, comme nous pouvons l’observer dans la plus grande majorité des œuvres de l’auteure mauricienne. Au contraire, le récit s’évertue à mettre en place un processus singulier : celui d’une disparition, perpétré contre la narratrice et protagoniste principale, condamnée à être l’éternel Autre à cause de son physique monstrueux. La présente étude se donne pour objectif d’exposer les rouages à la fois narratifs, thématiques, corporels et relationnels de cet anéantissement de l’Autre à travers une approche essentiellement narratologique. Dans un premier temps, l’entreprise de disparition est observée à travers plusieurs procédés narratifs : complexité chronologique, enchâssement de plusieurs niveaux de récit, abondance de narrataires. Dans un second temps, le thème de la disparition est questionné dans les relations aliénantes nouées par la narratrice, dont le corps difforme est le principal enjeu. De cette volonté de destruction (re)nait et (re)meurt une narratrice, malade de folie, dont les séquelles incurables l’empêcheront de réaliser son désir d’appartenance à un Même fantasmé.

The autotelic experience : a design approach to user experience

Si les principes d’utilisabilité guident la conception de solutions de design interactif pour s’assurer que celles-ci soient « utilisables », quels principes guident la conception d’objets interactifs pour s’assurer que l’expérience subjective de l’usager (UX) soit adéquate et mémorable? Que manque-t-il au cadre de l‘UX pour expliquer, comprendre, et anticiper en tant que designer une expérience mémorable (‘an experience’; Dewey, 1934)? La question centrale est issue d’une double problématique : (1) le cadre théorique de l’UX est incomplet, et (2) les processus et capacités des designers ne sont pas considérés et utilisés à leur pleine capacité en conception UX. Pour répondre à cette question, nous proposons de compléter les modèles de l’UX avec la notion d’expérience autotélique qui appartient principalement à deux cadres théoriques ayant bien cerné l’expérience subjective, soit l’expérience optimale (ou Flow) de Csikszentmihalyi (1988) et l’expérience esthétique selon Schaeffer (2001). L’autotélie est une dimension interne du Flow alors qu’elle couvre toute l’expérience esthétique. L’autotélie est une expérience d’éveil au moment même de l’interaction. Cette prise de conscience est accompagnée d’une imperceptible tension de vouloir faire durer ce moment pour faire durer le plaisir qu’il génère. Trois études exploratoires ont été faites, s’appuyant sur une analyse faite à partir d’un cadre théorique en trois parties : le Flow, les signes d’activité non verbale (les gestes physiques) et verbale (le discours) ont été évalués pour voir comment ceux-ci s’associent. Nos résultats tendent à prouver que les processus spatiaux jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’expérience autotélique et par conséquent dans une UX optimale. De plus, ils suggèrent que les expériences pragmatique et autotélique sont ancrées dans un seul et même contenu, et que leur différence tient au type d’attention que le participant porte sur l’interaction, l’attention ordinaire ou de type autotélique. Ces résultats nous ont menés à proposer un modèle pour la conception UX. L’élément nouveau, resté jusqu’alors inaperçu, consiste à s’assurer que l’interface (au sens large) appelle une attitude réceptive à l’inattendu, pour qu’une information puisse déclencher les processus spatiaux, offrant une opportunité de passer de l’attention ordinaire à l’attention autotélique. Le nouveau modèle ouvre la porte à une meilleure valorisation des habiletés et processus du designer au sein de l’équipe multidisciplinaire en conception UX.

Análisis del Espacio Schengen en materia de seguridad como base para la implementación del Protocolo sobre la Facilitación del Movimiento de Personas de la Comunidad para el Desarrollo de África Austral (SADC)

El fin de la Guerra Fría supuso no sólo el triunfo del capitalismo y de la democracia liberal, sino un cambio significativo en el Sistema Internacional; siendo menos centralizado y más regionalizado, como consecuencia de la proximidad y relaciones de interdependencia entre sus actores (no sólo Estados) y permitiendo la formación de Complejos Regionales de Seguridad (CRS). Los CRS son una forma efectiva de relacionarse y aproximarse a la arena internacional pues a través de sus procesos de securitización y desecuritización consiguen lograr objetivos específicos. Partiendo de ello, tanto la Unión Europea (UE) como la Comunidad para el Desarrollo de África Austral (SADC) iniciaron varios procesos de securitización relacionados con la integración regional; siendo un ejemplo de ello la eliminación de los controles en sus fronteras interiores o libre circulación de personas; pues consideraron que de no hacerse realidad, ello generaría amenazas políticas (su influencia y capacidad de actuación estaban amenazadas), económicas (en cuanto a su competitividad y niveles básicos de bienestar) y societales (en cuanto a la identidad de la comunidad como indispensable para la integración) que pondrían en riesgo la existencia misma de sus CRS. En esta medida, la UE creó el Espacio Schengen, que fue producto de un proceso de securitización desde inicios de la década de los 80 hasta mediados de la década de los 90; y la SADC se encuentra inmersa en tal proceso de securitización desde 1992 hasta la actualidad y espera la ratificación del Protocolo para la Facilitación del Movimiento de personas como primer paso para lograr la eliminación de controles en sus fronteras interiores. Si bien tanto la UE como la SADC consideraron que de no permitir la libre circulación de personas, su integración y por lo tanto, sus CRS estaban en riesgo; la SADC no lo ha logrado. Ello hace indispensable hacer un análisis más profundo de sus procesos de securitización para así encontrar sus falencias con respecto al éxito de la UE. El análisis está basado en la Teoría de los Complejos de Seguridad de Barry Buzan, plasmada en la obra Security a New Framework for Analysis (1998) de Barry Buzan, Ole Waever y Jaap de Wilde y será dividido en cada una de las etapas del proceso de securitización: la identificación de una amenaza existencial a un objeto referente a través de un acto discursivo, la aceptación de una amenaza por parte de una audiencia relevante y las acciones de emergencia para hacer frente a las amenazas existenciales; reconociendo las diferencias y similitudes de un proceso de securitización exitoso frente a otro que aún no lo ha sido.

Composición de Juntas directivas y desempeño de las firmas:evidencia para Colombia

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Impacto funcional con el uso de clavo telescopico tipo Fassier Duval en pacientes con osteogénesis imperfecta

Introducción: la osteogénesis es una patología de origen genético caracterizada por fragilidad ósea, en su curso natural los pacientes que la padecen se enfrentan a múltiples fracturas y múltiples intervenciones quirúrgicas, este tipo de pacientes por ser de alto riesgo necesitan técnicas quirúrgicas que aumenten el tiempo entre cada intervención y que demuestren un mayor impacto en el estado funcional. Objetivo: Determinar el impacto en el estado funcional de los pacientes con osteogénesis imperfecta llevados a tratamiento quirúrgico con clavos telescopados tipo Fassier Duval. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo prospectivo en el que se incluyeron 8 pacientes con diagnóstico de osteogénesis imperfecta, llevados a tratamiento quirúrgico con clavos telescopados tipo Fassier Duval desde el 2009 al 2013 a los cuales se les realizó seguimiento menor de 1 año del post operatorio. Resultados: La respuesta encontrada fue satisfactoria en la mayoría de los pacientes analizados 6 de 8, con cercanía a un estado funcional normal; un riesgo de caída bajo, incorporación y deambulación adecuada y una valoración funcional motora gruesa con valores cercanos al 100% identificando un buen nivel de independencia funcional. Se pudo demostrar que existieron cambios en los valores de la escala y que estos fueron estadísticamente significativos con p=0,028 indicando que el aumento dichos valores en el posoperatorio están relacionados con el procedimiento quirúrgico al utilizado en este grupo de pacientes. Conclusión: El tratamiento quirúrgico con el clavo telescopado de Fassier Duval en nuestra experiencia demostró tener una mejoría en el estado funcional de los pacientes del presente estudio, por lo tanto se sugiere la posibilidad de implementar su uso según este indicado con el fin de obtener un mejor resultado quirúrgico y funcional. Palabras clave: Osteogénesis Imperfecta, Clavo de Fassier Duval, Valoración Funcional Motora

Factores asociados a infección de fracturas abiertas de extremidades por accidentes de tránsito. Bogotá, 2012-2013

Los traumatismos por accidentes de tránsito, constituyen un problema de salud pública, a nivel mundial. Las lesiones más frecuentes son las fracturas de extremidades (84.3%). Las fracturas tienen un elevado riesgo de presentar infecciones, secuelas e incapacidades permanentes. Objetivo : Determinar si los factores asociados con la patología (lugar de fractura, clasificación de fractura, comorbilidades del paciente) y/o los factores relacionados con la atención médica (uso de profilaxis antibiótica diferente al protocolo institucional, tiempo prolongado para remisión, demoras en manejo quirúrgico) se asocian a mayor probabilidad de presentar infección de fracturas abiertas, en población mayor a 15 años, atendidos por accidente de tránsito, en una clínica de Bogotá de tercer nivel especializada en atención de SOAT, durante el período Octubre de 2012 a Octubre de 2013. Metodología: Estudio de casos y controles no apareado, relación 1:3, conformado por 43 casos (fracturas abiertas infectadas) y 129 controles (fracturas abiertas no infectadas). Resultados: La edad media de los casos fue de 39.42 +/- 16.82 años (med=36 años) y la edad media de los controles fue de 33.15 +/- 11.78 años (med=30 años). El 83.7% de los casos y el 78.3% de los controles corresponden al sexo masculino. Predominaron los accidentes en motocicleta en el 81.4% de los casos y el 86% de los controles. En el análisis bivariado se encuentra que la edad mayor a 50 años (p=0.042), una clasificación de la fractura grado IIIB o IIIC (p=0.02), cumplimiento del protocolo antibiótico institucional según el grado de fractura (p=0.014) y un tiempo mayor a 24 horas desde el momento del accidente al centro especializado en trauma (p=0.035) se asociaron significativamente con infección de la fractura abierta. En el análisis multivariado se encuentra únicamente que la clasificación de la fractura grado IIIB o IIIC se asocia con infección de la fractura OR 2.6 IC95% (1.187 – 5.781) (p=0.017). La duración de hospitalización fue mayor en los casos (32.37+/- 22.92 días, med=26 días) que en los controles (8.81 +/- 7.52 días, med=6 días) (p<0.001). El promedio de lavados quirúrgicos fue mayor en los casos (4.85±4.1, med=4.0) que en el grupo control (1.94±1.26, med=2) (p<0.001). Conclusiones: La infección posterior a una fractura abierta, implica costos elevados de atención con hospitalizaciones prolongadas y mayor frecuencia de intervenciones quirúrgicas como se evidencia en el presente estudio. Se debe fortalecer el sistema de remisión y contra remisión para acortar los tiempos de inicio de manejo especializado de los pacientes con fracturas abiertas. Se debe incentivar dentro de las instituciones, el cumplimiento de protocolos de profilaxis antibiótica según el grado de la fractura para disminuir el riesgo de complicación infecciosa.