Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate length of stay, postoperative mobilization and discharge disposition following intramedullary nailing of ballistic femoral shaft fractures stratified by nailing technique.
Methods
All adult patients with isolated ballistic femoral shaft fractures between May 1, 2018, and September 1, 2021, were reviewed. The final cohort included 69 ballistic femur fractures in 69 patients. Of the 69 patients included, 29 were treated with retrograde nailing while 40 were treated with antegrade nailing.
Results
The average length of stay of patients treated with antegrade nailing was 2.55 days (SD 1.3 days) compared with 3.45 days (SD 2.3 days) for patients treated with retrograde nailing; this was statistically significant (P = 0.04). Median steps on POD1 for antegrade nailing were 20 and 8 for retrograde. There was no significant difference in VAS pain scores between the two cohorts. All patients were discharged home.
Conclusion
The average length of stay for patients who underwent antegrade nailing was significantly shorter when compared with the retrograde nailing. Patients in the antegrade cohort mobilized further than the retrograde cohort in the immediate postoperative setting. We found no significant difference in VAS pain scores between the two cohorts.
Level of Evidence: 3
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No funding was received for conducting this study.
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The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
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Our study protocol was approved by our institution’s institutional review board committee and meets the guidelines of our responsible governmental agency. IRB approval number: IRB18-1370. IRB approval date: 9/24/2021 retrospectively registered
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The study was performed at The University of Chicago.
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Baker, H.P., Krishnan, P., Foy, M. et al. Effect of nailing technique on length of stay in isolated ballistic femoral shaft fractures. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 33, 353–360 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-021-03191-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-021-03191-x