A Comparative Study of the Early Postoperative Outcome of Three Intramedullary Fixation Modalities in the Treatment of Intertrochanteric Fractures of the Femur in the Elderly.

Abstract

Objectives: To compare early outcomes of proximal femoral bionic nail (PFBN), Inter-TAN, proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) for intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients.

Methods: Eighty-two elderly patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures treated at Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital affiliated with Hubei University of Medicine from December 2021 to 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They were categorized into three surgical groups: PFBN (22 cases), Inter-TAN (20 cases), and PFNA (40 cases). Preoperative demographics and fracture characteristics were compared, alongside intraoperative and postoperative metrics like operative time and complication rates.

Results: In the PFBN group, operative time, fluoroscopy use, blood loss, and transfusion were higher, but postoperative weight-bearing, healing, and hospital stay were shorter compared to the Inter-TAN and PFNA groups (P<0.05). Inter-TAN had a significantly shorter postoperative weight-bearing time than PFNA (P<0.001). Other compared factors showed no significant differences between groups (P>0.05), including complication rates and scores at 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions: PFBN, a novel surgical approach for intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients, outperforms Inter-TAN and PFNA by accelerating early weight-bearing and hastening fracture recovery.