Femur Fracture Compression Plate Study
A recent research study looked at the efficacy of a femur fracture compression plate. These plates are a new development and merge locking screws with compression plate technology to repair bone fractures. The plates are made out of stainless steel and have been manufactured to have an anatomic shape and profile. This shape is essential for making sure that they mesh well with the bones, causing minimal irritation.
The compressive structure provides the plates with added flexibility. This flexibility in the plate allows the patient to regain greater mobility and range of motion following surgical repair. Because the plate is not rigid, the bones and muscles have a higher degree of motion. The compressive characteristics of the plate come from a feature called Combi holes. These holes are placed in the plate to provide compressibility along the length of the shaft.
The Structure of the Research Study: Level I Trauma Center
The research study was published in a well-respected orthopedic surgery journal and took place at a Level I Trauma Center (the highest rating available in the medical community). This means that the hospital sees a wide variety of serious injuries, including femur fractures. During the research study, more than 100 patients with femur fractures participated in the study. The patients presented after a variety of traumatic events and had their fractures diagnosed using medical imaging such as x-rays or CT scans. Of note, some of the patients had multiple femur fractures and may have required numerous compression plates to complete the repair.
The goal of the researchers was to see if this femur fracture compression plate would compare favorably to other methods of repair in the operating room. The researchers used the plate in both open femur fractures and closed femur fractures. Several surgical outcomes were tracked including the overall failure rate of surgery, the location of in the femur of any failures, and any loss of screw fixation.
The Results of the Femur Fracture Compression Plate
The researchers followed the patients closely after their surgery. Overall, there were 11 total failures during the operation. This represents a failure rate of less than 10 percent. The failure rate of open femur fractures was about three times higher than the failure rate of closed femur fractures. This is likely due to the more complicated nature of an open fracture. Just over 16 percent of the patients were diagnosed with malunion and needed to return to the operating room for a repeat surgical procedure. In the end, those who suffered a failure of their compression plate had a higher rate of complications. The majority of the failures took place in the shaft of the implant and not at the proximal or distal end of the device.
Study Conclusions and Future Directions: Further Studies
Overall, the femur fracture compression plate represents a viable option for the repair of a broken femur. It has a failure rate that is comparable to other surgical equipment. After repair of the femur fracture, most of the patients made a full recovery. Because of the compressive nature of the plate, patients should regain a higher degree of mobility after the repair. Future research studies should take a look at whether or not the compression plate can be used to repair different types of bone fractures as well.
Future studies should also look at the durability of the compression plate from a long-term perspective. According to the manufacturers, the compression plate has been designed with the goals of complete anatomic fracture reduction, stable fixation to prevent reinjury, preservation of the blood supply to the bone and surrounding tissue, and rapid mobilization to complete the recovery process. All of these factors will lead to a significantly improved quality of life for the patient. It will be interesting to see if this compression plate accomplishes these tasks down the road. It might represent a significant shift in the way femur fractures are repaired surgically.
Watch YouTube Video: Femur Fracture. The video below discusses the different types of femur fractures.
Femur Fracture Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento femur fracture lawyer. This new femur fracture compression plate treatment option is effective for specific leg injuries. If you have been suffered a femur fracture in a major accident, please call me today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice.
I am honored to be a part of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Top One Percent.
See our verdicts or settlements.
Our client reviews are on Avvo Yelp, & Google.
Image Citation: The photo used on this post was found originally on Pixabay & has been reproduced here with the permission of the Creative Commons License.
:dr 0p cha [cs 796]