Cary Fletcher
St. Ann’s Bay Hospital, Jamaica
Title: Open locked nailing using an expandable nail: An alternative approach
Biography
Biography: Cary Fletcher
Abstract
Objective: The main objective is to evaluate various outcomes of open intramedullary nailing using the Fixion expanding nail at our institution. Method: A retrospective study was performed using the hospital records. The mechanism of injury, the time between injury and surgery, blood transfusion requirements, blood loss, surgical times, time taken to weight bear (for the femoral/tibial fractures), time for commencement of upper limb use (for humeral fractures), complication rates and the average follow up times were documented. Fifty-seven Long bone fractures in 57 patients were included in this study. Complete results including preoperative X-Rays were available for 27 patients. In 30 cases, the actual X-Rays were not located but documentation by the treating surgeons was available. Results: There were 44 acute femoral fractures, 6 acute tibial fractures, 3 acute humeral fractures, 2 humeral nonunion, 1 tibial nonunion and 1 pathological femoral fracture. All patients achieved radiological union and the complication rates were deemed acceptable. Conclusion: Open intramedullary nailing using an expanding nail may be used for a variety of indications involving the humerus, tibia and femur.
