Short or long intramedullary devices for hip fracture? A systematic review of the evidence.

Trochanteric hip fractures may be fixed with either sliding hip screws or intramedullary devices. Current UK guidance is that intramedullary fixation should be used for AO/OTA 31A3 fractures but does not stipulate length of nail. We present a systematic review comparing short and long nails for these injuries in older patients.

Incidence and predictive factors of problems after fixation of trochanteric hip fractures with sliding hip screw or intramedullary devices.

Introduction: Hip fractures are common and disabling injuries, usually managed surgically. The most common type outside the joint capsule are trochanteric fractures, usually fixed with either sliding hip screw or intramedullary nail. Data are available in the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) on early failure and other major complications, but late or subtler complications may escape recording.

Changing trends in the management of intertrochanteric hip fractures - A single centre experience.

With an annual incidence greater than 65,000 in the United Kingdom, hip fractures are a common but debilitating injury predominantly affecting those over 65. Treatment is based on the anatomical location of the fracture relative to the capsule of the hip joint - fractures occurring within it are treated by arthroplasty, while extracapsular fractures are an indication for fixation. Intertrochanteric fractures are further grouped as stable (AO/OTA 31A1/A2) or unstable (31A3) which in turn governs in the current UK guidelines whether this fixation is achieved with a dynamic hip screw or intramedullary device.

The use of secure anonymised data linkage to determine changes in healthcare utilisation following severe open tibial fractures.

Severe open fractures of the lower limbs are complex injuries requiring expert multidisciplinary management in appropriate orthoplastic centres. This study aimed to assess the impact of open fractures on healthcare utilisation and test the null hypotheses that there is no difference in healthcare utilisation between the year before and year after injury, and that there is no difference in healthcare utilisation in the year post-injury between patients admitted directly to an orthoplastic centre in keeping with the joint BOA/BAPRAS standards and those having initial surgery elsewhere. This retrospective cohort study utilising secure anonymised information linkage (SAIL), a novel databank of anonymised nationally pooled health records, recruited patients over 18 years of age sustaining severe open lower limb fractures managed primarily or secondarily at our centre and who had data available in the SAIL databank.