Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of staged surgery in treatment of calf Gustilo-Anderson type IIIC fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series was conducted to analyze clinical data of 16 patients with calf Gustilo-Anderson type IIIC fracture admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019. There were 12 males and 4 females, with the age of (38.6±8.2)years (range, 18-53 years). All patients had limb salvage treatment at one stage in the emergency department. The survival of the limb and the occurrence of vascular crisis were examined within one week after limb salvage. The second stage involved the repair of skin and soft tissue defects with the defect area from 12.0 cm×5.0 cm to 20.0 cm×8.0 cm using free flaps. The survival of the flap, vascular crisis, and donor site healing within two weeks after the flap procedure. The third stage used bone graft revision and bone lengthening technology to repair bone tissue. The lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) and Mazur ankle joint function score were used to evaluate the function of the affected limb before bone repair and at the last follow-up. The fracture healing and related complications were observed at the last follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for (14.2±4.6)months (range, 8-20 months). At one stage, the limb-saving surgery was successful in all patients, among which one had vascular crisis. At second stage, free flaps survived in all patients, among which two had vascular crisis. All donor areas were healed by first intention. At third stage, the LEFS of the affected limb was increased from (32.0±7.4)points before bone repair to (48.0±10.2)points at the last follow-up ( P<0.01) and the Mazur score was increased from (50.9±15.3)points before bone repair to (73.8±11.9)points at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). All bone defects were repaired and healed without complications such as infection or osteomyelitis at the last follow-up. Conclusion:For calf Gustilo-Anderson type IIIC fracture, the staged strategy can effectively save limbs and restore limb function.