Ex-fix
Medical abbreviation · Surgical
| Stands for | External fixator |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
Ex-fix stands for External fixator, a surgical abbreviation.
Frame of pins or wires drilled into bone above and below a fracture and connected by rods outside the skin. It provides temporary stabilization of severe open fractures, unstable pelvic fractures and fractures with major soft tissue injury, and definitive treatment in deformity correction and limb lengthening.
Example: Spanning ex-fix placed across the knee for the open tibial plateau fracture; ORIF in 10 days.
Usage notes
Also written ex fix or ExFix. Damage control orthopedics uses an ex-fix to stabilize an unstable trauma patient quickly and defers definitive fixation until the patient recovers. Pin site infection is the most common complication, so daily pin care is routine. Circular frames such as the Ilizarov apparatus are used for limb lengthening and deformity correction.
Related abbreviations
More surgical abbreviations
- DIEP – Deep inferior epigastric perforator (flap)
- DOS – Day of surgery
- EBL – Estimated blood loss
- ERAS – Enhanced recovery after surgery
- EUA – Examination under anesthesia
- Ex lap – Exploratory laparotomy
- Fem-pop – Femoral-popliteal (bypass)
- FESS – Functional endoscopic sinus surgery
- FS – Frozen section
- FTSG – Full-thickness skin graft
- HIPEC – Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
- I&D – Incision and drainage
See all 51 surgical abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.