Prevalence of non-union complication in femoral shaft fracture patients who underwent IM nailing surgery in Fatemi Hospital Ardabil.

Abstract

Background: Various statistics have reported the prevalence of nonunion following intramedullary nailing to be between 0.9% and 1.1%. Femoral shaft fractures typically should achieve union within three to six months after intramedullary nailing. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of nonunion in patients with femoral shaft fractures treated with intramedullary nailing at Fatemi Hospital, Ardabil. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 70 patients who presented to the orthopedic clinic of Fatemi Hospital, Ardabil, with a diagnosis of femoral shaft fracture and underwent intramedullary nailing surgery in 2023 (1402 Persian calendar). Using anteroposterior femoral radiographs, patients were categorized into one of five groups (0 to 4) according to the Winquist-Hansen classification. Additionally, data on fracture type and fracture line, as well as demographic variables including age and sex, were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software with descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-test. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: In the present study, 70 patients with femoral shaft fractures with a mean age of 36.06 ± 13.5 years who underwent IM nailing surgery at Fatemi Hospital, Ardabil, participated. The prevalence of nonunion complication in femoral shaft fracture patients was 18.6%. A significant relationship was observed between fracture grade and nonunion complication. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that potential complications such as delayed union, nonunion, and osteomyelitis in the intramedullary nailing method are approximately comparable to those of the external fixator method. On the other hand, the duration of hospitalization, time to union, and other complications were lower in the intramedullary nailing method.