Treatment of open femoral shaft fractures Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Grants topic (951,670,400) [Author] Peng Tianbao (born in 1966), male, from Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, is an attending physician specializing in clinical research on limb trauma. In the treatment of open femoral shaft fractures, achieving good fixation of the fracture is more challenging; the stability of the fracture fixation directly affects the ability to effectively control infection. The majority of patients in this group were treated with bone traction and plaster fixation, mostly cases from over five years ago, with a recent infection rate of 33.3% (7/21).
Table 2 shows the incidence of long-term complications under different therapies (*, P < 0.05). Using an external fixator sometimes presents difficulties in controlling angular deformities [33], which may depend on the operator’s experience and proficiency; loose screws fixing the holder can also be a factor, especially when stress around the bone near the fixing screws causes bone resorption and angular changes, making deformities more likely with improper activities. If the fracture displacement is not completely reset or there is a large bone defect in comminuted fractures, primary deformities may occur even with external fixation. Attention should be paid to whether the external fixation has been properly reset, if there is any missing bone fragment, instructing the patient to maintain limb immobilization, regularly checking if the fixation screws are loose, and detecting and amending issues in a timely manner to maximize the advantages of external fixation for fractures and achieve the best clinical results.