FUNCTIONAL RESULTS OF ELASTIC NAIL FIXATION ON THE SHAFT OF FEMUR FRACTURE IN CHILDREN AGES 05 TO 12

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most prevalent conditions affecting youngsters is femur fractures. There isn't much consensus regarding the preferred therapy for children aged 6 to 16. Over the past 20 years, the treatment of pediatric femur fractures has gradually shifted to a more surgical approach. This is due to the fact that healthcare standards call for more quick mobilization, an early release, and a return to regular family activities. Compared to conservative treatment, operative treatment provides advantages in the areas of psychology, social work, education, and economics since it leads to shorter hospital stays and early mobilization.

Aims & Objectives: The purpose of this study is to ascertain the frequency of a functional result using Flynn's criteria in pediatric patients who present to a tertiary care hospital between the ages of 5 and 12 for the stabilization of a femur fracture using elastic nails.  Place and Duration of Study: From January 01, 2023, to December  31, 2023, we performed a "Descriptive case series" in the Orthopedic Surgery unit of Gujranwala teaching hospital Gujranwala. 

Materials and Methods: Following informed permission, sixty patients who met the eligibility requirements and were between the ages of five and ten were included in the study through the orthopedic surgery department of Services Hospital in Lahore. Under general anesthesia, a lone surgical team assisted by the researcher operated on these individuals to repair femur fractures. The kids were checked on every one, two, three, and six months. Following a 6-month period, patients underwent evaluation in accordance with Flynn's criteria for nailing femur fracture outcomes. Three categories of outcomes were identified: excellent, satisfactory, and bad. Every piece of data was documented using proforma. With SPSS version, data was input and examined. The P-value of ¦0.05 was considered significant for 25.

Results: Of the 50 patients, 32% (n=16) belonged to the 5-8 year age group, and 68% (n=34) to the 8–10 year age group. The mean age of the patients was 8.17±1.01 years. There were 64% (n=22) females and 36% (n=18) males. Of the 50 patients,  18 had been in a car accident,26) had experienced a fall, and 6 had sustained an injury from another source. In 80% of cases (n=40), the functional outcome frequency met Flynn's criterion for excellence.

Conclusion :Applying Flynn's criteria for functional outcome, we came to the conclusion that elastic nail is a reasonably easy therapy for femur shaft fractures in children who were duly selected. It may also be compared to other treatment techniques.