OUTCOMES OF SURGICAL TREATMENT OF DIAPHYSEAL FEMUR FRACTURES IN POLYTRAUMATIZED CHILDREN.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the surgical treatment of diaphyseal femur fractures in polytraumatized children, considering consolidation rate, complications, and function as outcomes of interest.

Methods: This is a quantitative, cross-sectional, and retrospective study of medical records of patients treated from 2012 to 2021. The 39 patients (41 femurs) were divided into four groups according to the method of osteosynthesis. We used the IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 20 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL), and performed Chi-square, Fisher, Kruskal-Wallis, and Shapiro-Wilk tests with a significance level of 5%.

Results: We observed six complications among patients. Functional outcomes were satisfactory in 40 cases (97.6%) and unsatisfactory in one case (2.40%) according to the adopted criteria. We found one case (2.40%) of non-union and one case (2.40%) of malunion, whereas 39 cases (95.20%) achieved full consolidation.

Conclusions: Flexible intramedullary nails and external fixators are the preferred options for patients aged 5 to 10 years. Intramedullary nails, plates, or external fixators are prioritized for patients over 11 years old. The type and pattern of fractures were considered relevant for treatment selection. Level of evidence III, Therapeutic study - Investigation of outcomes and treatment. Comparative retrospective study.