Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Minimally Invasive Treatment for Thoracolumbar Burst Fracture Using Sagittal Alignment Screws and A Trauma Reduction Device
Published on: November 8, 2024
Does lower extremity fracture fixation technique influence neurologic outcomes in patients with traumatic brain
Mira Ghneim1, Joseph Kufera, Ashling Zhang
1From the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (M.G., D.S.), Program in Trauma, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine; National Study Center for Trauma and Emergency Medical Systems, Program in Trauma, Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (J.K.), University of Maryland School of Medicine; University of Maryland School of Medicine (A.Z.); Department of Surgery (L.P.-V., L.S.), Loma Linda University Medical Center; Inova Fairfax Hospital (J.W.); LSUHCS (A.S.); Ochsner Medical Center (A.H.); Broward Health Medical Center (D.R.M., T.J.D.); Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center (P.L., K.C.); University of Texas Health Science Center (S.N., L.F.); Ascension St. Vincent Hospital (L.E.J., J.M.W.); St. Mary's Medical Center (L.L., F.A.), Florida Atlantic University, Schmidt College of Medicine; Mission Hospital (W.S., A.S.); University of California, Irvine (J.N., M.D.); Hadassah Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine (M.B.), Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Cooper University Health Care (T.E.); Cooper University Health Care (C.Z.); WakeMed Health and Hospitals (P.O.U., H.N.); Medical Center of the Rockies (J.A.D.), University of Colorado Health North; Orthopedic Center of the Rockies (R.B.); Memorial University Medical Center (K.M.); Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (A.P.S., K.S.); Spartanburg Regional Medical Center (C.J.M., J.M.M.); Memorial Hospital Central (T.J.S., Z.S.); Yale School of Medicine (R.O., D.J.); NYU Grossman School of Medicine (C.B., M.R.,); University of Kentucky (J.K.R., M.H.); St. Mary's Medical Center (M.S.), Essentia Health; NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (Z.L.H., K.T.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (C.L., N.E.G.); Kettering Health Main Campus (C.S., B.P.); Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (G.R.S.); Research Medical Center (M.L., H.M.); Tufts Medical Center (N.B.), Tuft University School of Medicine; and Tufts Medical Center (M.J.L.).
Objective:
This study aimed to determine whether lower extremity fracture fixation technique and timing (≤24 vs. >24 hours) impact neurologic outcomes in TBI patients.
Methods:
A prospective observational study was conducted across 30 trauma centers. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years and older, head Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score of >2, and a diaphyseal femur or tibia fracture requiring external fixation (Ex-Fix), intramedullary nailing (IMN), or open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). The analysis was conducted using analysis of variamce, Kruskal-Wallis, and multivariable regression models. Neurologic outcomes were measured by discharge Ranchos Los Amigos Revised Scale (RLAS-R).
Results:
Of the 520 patients enrolled, 358 underwent Ex-Fix, IMN, or ORIF as definitive management. Head AIS was similar among cohorts. The Ex-Fix group experienced more severe lower extremity injuries (AIS score, 4-5) compared with the IMN group (16% vs. 3%, p = 0.01) but not the ORIF group (16% vs. 6%, p = 0.1). Time to operative intervention varied between the cohorts with the longest time to intervention for the IMN group (median hours: Ex-Fix, 15 [8-24] vs. ORIF, 26 [12-85] vs. IMN, 31 [12-70]; p < 0.001). The discharge RLAS-R score distribution was similar across the groups. After adjusting for confounders, neither method nor timing of lower extremity fixation influenced the discharge RLAS-R. Instead, increasing age and head AIS score were associated with a lower discharge RLAS-R score (odds ratio [OR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002-1.03 and OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.75-3.22), and a higher Glasgow Coma Scale motor score on admission (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.97) was associated with higher RLAS-R score at discharge.
Conclusion:
Neurologic outcomes in TBI are impacted by severity of the head injury and not the fracture fixation technique or timing. Therefore, the strategy of definitive fixation of lower extremity fractures should be dictated by patient physiology and the anatomy of the injured extremity and not by the concern for worsening neurologic outcomes in TBI patients.
Level Of Evidence:
Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level III.
