How Should Pediatric Femur Fractures be Treated?
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. There are some who think that kids are simply little adults in the medical world; however, this is not true. Kids are still growing and because of this there are important implications regarding their treatment after traumatic injures such as those involving bone fractures.
The Current Standard of Care
For kids who suffer femur fractures, the current standard of care involves placing the injury in a device called a spica cast for a period of around six weeks to give the bone time to heal. This timeline can be adjusted based on the severity of the injury. A spica cast is a specific type of cast that is often used to immobilize the hips and legs of children for various reasons, including femur fractures. While it can be challenging for parents to deal with their kids while in a spica cast, this device has proven effective when used to treat femur fractures, pediatric hip injuries, and a variety of other health conditions.
An Earlier Return to Ambulation is Desired
While the spica cast may be effective, many parents would desire that their kids be able to walk again sooner if offered the opportunity. A recent study was published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics and examined the use of titanium nails to repair femur fractures in young children aged 2 to 6 years. They reviewed the charts of over 200 patients treated with either a spica cast or titanium nails with the hypothesis that those who were treated with the titanium nails would be able to walk again sooner. Many of the patients in the study group were involved in an automobile accident or were struck by a car, leading to pedestrian injuries.
What Were the Results?
Most notably, the time it took for the femur fracture to heal was very similar between the two groups, meaning that regardless of the treatment method chosen, the fracture itself healed in a similar amount of time. The study also revealed that kids who were treated with titanium nails after extremity trauma were able to resume ambulation sooner, meaning that they could move again independently in a shorter period of time. The results are significant because they demonstrate that the two treatment methods can have similar results in terms of long-term outcome; however, one treatment method gets their patients to that point sooner. It is important for patients and their parents to keep this in mind when visiting a physician for treatment of femur fractures, especially polytrauma.
Sacramento Femur Fracture Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. It is important to note that in the medical community, kids are more than just little adults. If your child has suffered a bone fracture, please call me at (916) 921-6400 for friendly, free advice. I have a toll-free number at (800) 404-5400.
I belong to the Million Dollar Forum. We are top rated US trial lawyers with verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 Million.
See some of my verdicts and settlements here.
My client reviews are available here: Avvo, Yelp, and Google.
Photo Attribution: Wikimedia Commons
:dr bw