Early clinical cxperience with the SIGN hip construct: a retrospective case series

As the population ages, the developing world industrializes, and more urban centers emerge, the burden of orthopedic trauma will steadily increase. SIGN Fracture Care International has developed a unique intramedullary device for fixation of hip fractures in low-resource settings lacking fluoroscopy. The purpose of this study is to report the safety profile and complication rate for a consecutive series of hip fracture patients managed using this implant.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of the first 170 patients treated with the SIGN Hip Construct (SHC) from 2009 to 2014 using the SIGN Online Surgical Database (SOSD). Patients with follow-up greater than 12 weeks and adequate radiographs were included. Data recorded include patient demographics, time-to-surgery, union rate, AO/OTA classification, complications, neck-shaft angle, and clinical outcomes including painless weight bearing and knee flexion greater than 90°.

Of 170 patients, 71 met inclusion criteria with mean follow-up of 39 weeks. Mean age was 49.5 and by WHO, regions were Africa (27), Eastern Mediterranean (21), Western Pacific (17), Americas (3), and Southeast Asia (3). Fractures included intertrochanteric (55), subtrochanteric (7), femoral neck (4), and combined (5). Reduction quality was good in 35 (49%), acceptable in 19 (27%), and poor in 17 (24%). Major complications consisted of varus collapse (6), non- or delayed union (3), intra-articular screw (5), and infection (3). Average postoperative neck-shaft angle was 126° and 119.3° at final follow-up.

This is the first comprehensive report of a novel implant for hip fractures specifically designed for low-resource settings. The early clinical data and outcomes suggest that the SHC can be safely inserted in the absence of fluoroscopy, and facilitates early mobilization while maintaining acceptable reduction until union.