Unreamed intramedullary nailing of femoral fractures

Seventy-five patients with 81 femoral shaft fractures were treated with unreamed antegrade intramedullary nailing using a titanium alloy implant (AIM femoral nail, ACE Medical) with static interlocking. There were 73 closed fractures and 8 open fractures. Six patients had bilateral femoral shaft fractures. In two cases there was an ipsilateral fracture of the femoral neck, two patients had an ipsilateral intertrochanteric fracture, in one case there was a concomitant subtrochanteric fracture, and four patients had sustained an ipsilateral fracture of the acetabulum in addition to their femoral shaft fractures. In 43 cases (53%) the fracture of the femoral shaft was a comminuted type fracture. Thirty-nine patients (52%) had suffered multiple injuries; the mean Injury Severity Score was 41.2. Sixty-nine fractures were stabilized primarily within 8 hours after admission and 12 fractures were treated secondarily, in a mean of 5.8 days after injury. Closed intramedullary nailing was performed in 73 femora and open nailing with cerclage wiring was done in 8. All 81 nails were implanted unreamed and static was used in every case. The diameters of the nails used were 9 mm (n = 68) and 10 mm (n = 13). Proximal interlocking was distally directed in 76 cases and proximally directed in 5 cases. Two patients died of severe head injuries and one patient died of multiple organ failure. The infection rate was 0%, and uneventful consolidation of the fractures was seen in all cases within a mean of 3.8 months. Neither in the case of nails nor in the case of interlocking bolts did an implant failure occur.