Shaft of Femur Fractures
Introduction:
Femur is the longest bone in the body and femoral shaft fractures occur due to high energy trauma such as a Motor Vehicle accident and is often associated with injuries to Chest, head and abdomen making it a life-threatening condition. It can be also seen in elderly patients due to a trivial fall at home .
Clinical symptoms
The patient will present with pain in the thigh and/or hip or knee pain, and will be unable to weight bear. In severe cases, an obvious deformity will be apparent from the end of the bed.
(A)
Shaft of femur fracture (B)
Intra medullary fixation
Treatment
Femoral fractures should be surgically fixed within 24-48 hours, although sooner if a bleeding wound is seen. Most isolated cases can be treated with an antegrade intramedullary nail.
External fixation (with subsequent delayed conversion to intramedullary nail) may be used in associated injuries to vital organs to ensure the patient is physiologically optimized prior to definitive fixation.
OUTCOME
