Expandable nailing system for tibial shaft fractures

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Traumatology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Tibial shaft fractures are common injuries requiring effective fixation.
• Intramedullary nailing is a standard treatment, but expandable systems offer potential advantages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical outcomes of using the Fixion expandable intramedullary nail for tibial shaft fractures.
• To assess complications, healing times, and operative efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study at a level-1 trauma center.
• 26 patients with acute tibial shaft fractures (closed and open) treated with the Fixion expandable nail.
• Recorded operative time, fluoroscopy time, healing duration, and complications.

Main Results:

• All 26 fractures healed by 18.5 weeks (mean 12.8 weeks).
• Mean operative time was 40 minutes, mean fluoroscopy time was 10 seconds.
• One nail expansion failure, two cases of anterior knee pain, and one rotational malalignment noted.

Conclusions:

• The Fixion expandable nailing system demonstrates minimal complications and excellent functional outcomes for OTA types A and B tibial fractures.
• Advantages include reduced operative and fluoroscopy times and ease of use.