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Flexible nailing of fractures in children using stainless steel Kirschner wires
1Trauma and Orthopaedics, Mersey Deanery, Liverpool, UK. shashankdc@hotmail.com
Insights
Stainless steel Kirschner (K) wires offer a cost-effective alternative for flexible nailing in pediatric fractures. Results using K wires are comparable to more expensive titanium nails, making them a viable option.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing (ESIN) is a standard procedure for pediatric fractures.
- Elastic titanium nails, commonly used for ESIN, present a significant cost barrier.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of using stainless steel Kirschner (K) wires for flexible nailing in pediatric diaphyseal fractures.
- To compare the outcomes of K wire flexible nailing with traditional titanium elastic nails.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 35 pediatric patients with diaphyseal fractures treated with flexible nailing using stainless steel K wires.
- Comparison of clinical outcomes and cost analysis against published data for titanium nails.
Main Results:
- Treatment with stainless steel K wires yielded results comparable to those reported for titanium nails.
- Stainless steel K wires are substantially more cost-effective, being 92% cheaper than Nancy nails and 84% cheaper than Synthes titanium elastic nails.
- Instrumentation for K wire flexible nailing is readily available.
Conclusions:
- Flexible nailing using cost-effective stainless steel K wires is a viable and comparable alternative to titanium elastic nails for treating pediatric diaphyseal fractures.
- The use of K wires significantly reduces treatment costs without compromising clinical outcomes.
Abstract:
Elastic titanium nails are widely used for the established procedure of Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing (ESIN), but are costly. Thirty-five diaphyseal fractures in various long bones in children were treated by flexible nailing using stainless steel Kirschner (K) wires. The results were comparable with reports by other authors using titanium nails and stainless steel K wires. Cost-effective K wires and instrumentation are easily available. A stainless steel K wire is 92% cheaper than a Nancy nail and 84% cheaper than a Synthes titanium elastic nail. K wires can be used for flexible nailing of fractures in children with results comparable with those after using titanium nails.
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