A prospective study on outcomes of stainless steel proximal femoral nail for unstable intertrochanteric fractures in rural population

Abstract

Introduction: Intertrochanteric fractures are common in geriatric population. They account for 34% of all hip fractures. Surgical treatment with proximal femoral nail (PFN) is being replaced with newer generation nails. Stainless steel PFN is still being widely used in resource limited settings. Material and Methods: This is a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital serving rural populations in southern India. The study included 20 patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Intra-operative bleeding, surgical time, radiation exposure in seconds were recorded. Patients were evaluated at each visit by Harris hip score. Duration of hospital stay, time to union and mobility status were recorded. Results: The mean operating time in our study was 70.15 (SE + 9.39) minutes. The mean C arm exposure in our study was 119.60 seconds (SE + 8.16). The average blood loss per patient was 221 ml (SE +41.66). The mean duration of stay in hospital in our study was 17.5 days. In our study, 14 patients had excellent results, 4 patients had good results, 1 patient had fair result and 1 case had a poor result according to Harris Hip Score. Conclusion: Stainless steel proximal femoral nailing remains a relevant choice for unstable intertrochanteric fractures in rural and resource limited settings.