Zhang JY, Tornetta P, Dale KM, et al. - Researchers conducted a multicenter retrospective review with the aim to ascertain the factors linked with successful union and eradication of infection in the setting of staged procedures to treat obviously infected nonunions of long bones. As per their hypothesis, nonunion may persist more frequently in patients with positive intraoperative cultures obtained at the time of definitive surgery for infected nonunions relative to those with negative cultures. They assessed a total of 134 patients in whom staged procedures were used to treat an obviously infected nonunion of a long bone (mean age 49 years, 60% open fractures, and mean follow-up 22 months). Findings overall suggest that it is beneficial to perform management of infected nonunion in long bones with staged treatments before definitive fixation, however, ultimately less effectiveness was observed when conducted in the setting of positive bacterial cultures at the time of definitive management.