Midterm Outcomes of Intramedullary Fixation of Intertrochanteric Femoral Fractures Using Compression Hip Nails: Radiologic and Clinical Results

Background@#Various implants are used to treat intertrochanteric fractures. However, the optimal implant to stabilize intertrochanteric femoral fractures is still a matter of debate. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the midterm outcomes of patients treated using compression hip nails (CHNs). @*Methods@#Between March 2013 and April 2018, 164 patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures who were treated with internal fixation using CHNs were enrolled in this study. The mean age of the patients was 79.6 years. We retrospectively collected and estimated information such as reduction state, implant position, operation time, blood loss, hospital stay, time to achieve union, clinical scores (Harris hip score [HHS] and EuroQol five-dimensional [EQ-5D]), intraoperative complications (such as lag jamming and drill bit breakage), failure of fixation, avascular necrosis, and surgical site infection. @*Results@#The mean follow-up period was 39.69 months. Eight percent of the patients required an open reduction. The mean operation time was 131 minutes, the mean blood loss was 221.19 mL, the mean hospital stay was 20.66 days, and the average time to union was 18 weeks. Intraoperative complications included 8 cases of breakage of the drill bit while making distal holes. The failure rate was 3.7% and revision surgery was performed in 6 cases (for cut-out in 5 and pull-out of the lag screw in 1). Asymptomatic venous thromboembolism occurred in 2 cases and hematoma requiring intervention occurred in 1 case. There were no other complications such as avascular necrosis, infection, and lateral irritation. At the 2-year follow-up, the averages of HHS and EQ-5D were 71.54 and 0.68, respectively. @*Conclusions@#Among the implants used to treat intertrochanteric femoral fractures, CHNs had a surgical failure of 3.7% and showed good radiologic and clinical results.

Position Statement: Atypical Femoral Fracture from the Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research in 2023

As the aging population increases, the number of patients with osteoporosis is gradually rising. Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by low bone mass and the microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, resulting in reduced bone strength and an increased risk of low-energy or fragility fractures. Thus, the use of anti-resorptive agents, such as bisphosphonates (BPs), to prevent osteoporotic fractures is growing annually. BPs are effective in reducing hip and other fractures. However, the longer a patient takes BPs, the higher the risk of an atypical femoral fracture (AFF). The exact mechanism by which long-term BP use affects the development of AFFs has not yet been clarified. However, several theories have been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of AFFs, such as suppressed bone remodeling, impaired bone healing, altered bone quality, and femoral morphology. The management of AFFs requires both medical and surgical approaches. BPs therapy should be discontinued immediately, and calcium and vitamin D levels should be evaluated and supplemented if insufficient. Teriparatide can be used for AFFs. Intramedullary nailing is the primary treatment for complete AFFs, and prophylactic femoral nailing is recommended if signs of an impending fracture are detected.

Hip Fractures in Centenarians: Functional Outcomes, Mortality, and Risk Factors from a Multicenter Cohort Study

Background@#Increasing longevity has caused the very old population to become the fastest-growing segment. The number of centenarians (over 100 years old) is increasing rapidly. Fractures in the elderly lead to excessive medical costs and decreased quality of life with socioeconomic burdens. However, little research has thoroughly examined the functional outcomes and mortality of hip fractures in centenarians. @*Methods@#This is a retrospective observational study. Sixty-eight centenarian hip fracture patients were admitted to the 10 institutions from February 2004 to December 2019. Fifty-six patients with 1-year follow-up were finally included. The following data were obtained: sex, age, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index value on the operation day, Koval’s classification for ambulatory ability, type of fracture, the time interval from trauma to surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, surgery-related complications, and duration of hospital stay. Postoperative Koval’s classification (at 1 year after surgery) and information about death were also collected. Multivariate analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors affecting mortality 1 year after surgery. @*Results@#Mortality rates were 26.8% at 6 months and 39.3% at 1 year. The 90-day mortality was 19.6%, and one of them (2.1%) died in the hospital. The 1-year mortality rates for the community ambulatory and non-community ambulatory groups were 29% and 52%, respectively. Only 9 (16.1%) were able to walk outdoors 1 year after surgery. The remaining 47 patients (83.9%) had to stay indoors after surgery. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the pre-injury ambulatory level (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.884; p = 0.034) was associated with the risk of mortality. @*Conclusions@#We report a 1-year mortality rate of 39.3% in centenarian patients with hip fractures. The risk factor for mortality was the pre-injury ambulatory status. This could be an important consideration in the planning of treatment for centenarian hip fracture patients.

Hip Fracture Surgery without Transfusion in Patients with Hemoglobin Less Than 10 g/dL

Background@#Hip fracture surgery is associated with blood loss, which may lead to adverse patient outcomes. The hemoglobin level declines gradually in most hip fracture cases involving femoral neck fractures and intertrochanteric fractures. It decreases further after hip fracture surgery due to perioperative bleeding. We developed a protocol, which avoids transfusion in hip fracture surgery, and reviewed the hemodynamic outcomes of patients with hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL without transfusion. @*Methods@#From 2014 to 2019, we retrospectively recruited 34 patients with hip fractures and a hemoglobin level less than 10 g/dL, who refused to undergo transfusion. There were 19 patients with femoral neck fractures and 15 patients with intertrochanteric fractures. Our patient blood management (PBM) protocol involving 4,000 U erythropoietin (3 times a week) and 100 mg iron supplement (every day) was applied to all included patients. Intraoperatively, a cell saver and tranexamic acid were used. Postoperatively, the protocol was maintained until the patients’ hemoglobin level reached 10 g/dL. We evaluated the feasibility of our protocol, perioperative complications, and hemodynamic changes. @*Results@#Nineteen patients with femoral neck fractures underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty and 15 patients with intertrochanteric frac tures underwent internal fixation with a cephalomedullary nail. The mean hemoglobin level was 8.9 g/dL (range, 7.3–9.9 g/dL) pre operatively, 7.9 g/dL (range, 6.5–9.3 g/dL) immediately postoperatively, 7.7 g/dL (range, 4.3–9.5 g/dL) on postoperative day 1, 7.4 g/dL (range, 4.2–9.4 g/dL) on postoperative day 3, 8.1 g/dL (range, 4.4–9.7 g/dL) on postoperative day 5, 8.5 g/dL (range, 4.5–9.9 g/dL) on post­operative day 7, and 9.9 g/dL (range, 5.7–11.1 g/dL) on postoperative day 14. The average intraoperative bleeding was 206.2 ± 78.7 mL. There was no case associated with complications of anemia. @*Conclusions@#Hip fracture surgery in patients with hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL was feasible without the need for transfusion using our PBM protocol in 34 patients. Using this protocol, the operation was conducted safely despite the anemic condition of patients with fractures whose hemoglobin was less than 10 g/dL.

Comparative Study of Compliance for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis (American College of Chest Physicians Guideline and American College of Orthopedic Surgeons Guideline) in High Risk Patients with a Venous Thromboembolism / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: To compare and analyze the rate of prevention of two venous thromboembolism prophylaxis guidelines in patients with artificial joint arthroplasty and hip joint fracture. Proper prophylaxis for preventing thromboembolism in orthopedic surgery is significant because of this fetal complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compared and retrospective analyzed the rate of prevention using the medical records and radiographs of patients who underwent orthopedic surgery from March 2009 to February 2011 according to the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines and from March 2012 to February 2014 according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines. RESULTS: The guidelines for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis have been applied to patients with artificial joint replacement and hip joint fracture, the compliance rate of the ACCP guidelines was 56.0% before surgery, 67.0% after surgery with chemical prophylaxis, and 80.5% with mechanical prophylaxis. In addition, the compliance rate of the AAOS guidelines was 74.1% with chemical prophylaxis, and 88.3% with mechanical prophylaxis, which was higher than the ACCP guidelines. The compliance rates of mechanical and chemical prophylaxis before and after surgery of the ACCP guidelines, and the compliance rate of mechanical and chemical prophylaxis of the AAOS guidelines were compared and analyzed. The results revealed statistical significance (p<0.05) before and after total knee replacement arthroplasty and hip joint fracture internal fixation and total high risk orthopedic surgery. CONCLUSION: Raising the compliance rate of prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in high risk orthopedic surgery is necessary and people should follow the guidelines for a unified direction depending on which situation they are in.

Blood Management Protocol without Transfusion in Orthopedic Surgery / 대한수혈학회지

We developed a new blood management protocol that allows patients to not undergo transfusion during major orthopaedic surgery. Here, we report the safety of or our protocol. The preoperative pharmacological protocol consisted of the administration of 40 µg of recombinant erythropoietin subcutaneously and 100 mg of iron supplements intravenously. During the operation, reinfusion of drainage blood using a cell saver and plasma expander was used. The cell saver device passed the collected blood through a filter, which washed the blood, removing the hemolyzed cells and other impurities. Intravenous tranexamic acid 1 g is given just before the operation, except high-risk patients for venous thromboembolism. Postoperatively, recombinant erythropoietin and iron supplements were administered in the same manner with the preoperative protocol and continued until a hemoglobin level reached 10 g/dL.

Laparoscopic Treatment for Psoas Abscess / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Psoas abscess is a rare and high mortality disease if there is no appropriate treatment. The surgical approach of psoas abscess is very difficult because psoas muscle is anatomically located within retroperitoneum. Recently, computed tomography guided percutaneous catheter drainage with proper antibiotic therapy has shown good results. If this therapy fails to resolve the psoas abscess, surgical treatment may be necessary. We experienced two cases of psoas abscess resolved by surgical drainage using laparoscopy. We report two successful results with relevant literatures.

Useful Method for Neutral Positioning of the Femoral Stem in Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty / 대한고관절학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a method for positioning the femoral stem in neutral position refer to the measured value of "lateral distance" in pre-operative templating and the femoral stem position post-operatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 81 hips in 76 patients underwent cementless total hip arthroplasty between March 2008 and April 2012 using the C2 stem (Lima Corporate S.P.A, Udine, Italy). We measured the perpendicular distance from the lateral outermost part of the greater trochanter to the lateral outermost part of the femoral stem (lateral distance, LD) in pre-operative templating. We aimed to insert the femoral stem in neutral position by comparing LD measured intra-operatively. We evaluated the position of the femoral stem on post-operative plain radiography. We compared the result of post-operative re-measurement of the LD with that of pre-operative measurement. RESULTS: In all of the 81 cases, the femoral stem was inserted in neutral position, defined as the femoral stem position within 3degreesvalgus or varus. The average angle of the inserted femoral stem was 1.20degrees(0.003-2.85degrees). LD measured in preoperative templating was 15.6 mm(10-21.5 mm), and it showed no correlation ratio with LD; LD re-measured post-operatively was 15.9 mm(10.3-23.5 mm) (P=0.781). CONCLUSION: Measuring LD pre-operatively and using the value intra-operatively is an effective method for insertion of the femoral stem in neutral position.

Immature Heterotopic Ossification in the Iliacus Muscle in Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a frequent complication associated with spinal cord injury and can lead to significant problems during rehabilitation. Surgical resection of HO could be applied to patients who do not respond to conservative treatment. To reduce the risk of recurrence after the operation, radiation therapy and NSAID or bisphosphonate administration may be utilized. We report the case of a 48-year-old male with a T3-sparing spinal cord injury who underwent successful treatment of immature HO in the iliacus muscle with a combination of surgical resection, radiation therapy, and NSAID administration.

Anatomical Measurement of Normal Korean Proximal Femur Using Plain Radiography: A Problem when using Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation

PURPOSE: We propose to improve the use of Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation in Korea by reporting anatomical measurements of the normal Korean proximal femur. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 230 patients were enrolled who had all experienced a femoral intertrochanteric fracture and undergone the Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation surgical procedure between February 2007 and April 2011. We measured the neck-shaft angle and endosteal width at the isthmus of a normal femur, and the distance between the greater trochanter and the nail tip of the Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation in post-operative plain radiography. We analyzed the average and standard deviations of the measurements. We also investigated correlations with the patient gender. RESULTS: The average neck-shaft angle and endosteal width at the isthmus were 129.7degrees(111.0~138.3degrees) and 14.5 mm (9.7~23.1 mm), respectively. The average protruded nail length was 4.9 mm (1.0~15.0 mm). The femur neck-shaft angle had a correlation ratio with gender (p=0.000). However, the endosteal width at the isthmus level and the protruded nail length had no correlation ratio with gender (p=0.108, 0.573, respectively). CONCLUSION: Until now, in intertrochanteric fracture operations using Proximal Femoral Nail Anti-rotation, the selection of devices has been extremely limited. Through this study we present the average Korean anatomical neck-shaft angle, endosteal width of the femur, and protruding length of the nail tip. We expect that these numerical values can be used in the production of new devices with shorter proximal nails, which would be more appropriates for Koreans.