[Effect and complications of proximal femoral anti-rotation intramedullary nail in the treatment of femoral intertrochanteric fracture in the elderly].

OBJECTIVE

To study the prognosis and complications of proximal femoral nail antirotation(PFNA) in the treatment of elderly intertrochanteric fracture.

METHODS

From January 2016 to November 2019, 127 cases of femoral intertrochanteric fracture were treated with PFNA, including 51 males and 76 females. The average age was 81.39±8.16 (range from 60 to 98). According to Evans classification, the numbers of cases of typeⅠa, typeⅠb, typeⅠc, typeⅠd and typeⅡwere 10, 46, 48, 16 and 7, respectively. Based on the AO /OTA classification, there were 10 cases of type 31-A1.2, 84 of type 31- A1.3, 17 of type 31-A2.2, 9 of type 31-A2.3, and 7 of type 31-A3. Preoperative and the final follow up, function of hip joint of patients treatedwith the PFNA were evaluated by harris hip score, and the postoperative complications were observed.

RESULTS

No incision infection occurred in all patients after PFNA. In this research, 4 cases failed in internal fixation, three of them underwent artificial femoral head replacement;5 cases died within one year after operation;2 cases had multiple embolizations of pulmonary artery branches, which recovered after anticoagulation treatment. There were 48 cases complicated with pneumonia, among which 9 cases had pulmonary inflammation before operation;27 cases with pleural effusion, 3 cases with acute heart failure, 3 cases with acute renal insufficiency, except one case died of pneumonia, pleural effusion, hypoproteinemia and respiratory failure during hospitalization, the other patients recovered after treatment. All 119 patients were followed up for 6 to 36 months, with an average of (17.01±6.03) months, Harris hip score increased from 8.96±5.40 preoperation to 83.57±8.92 at the final follow-up (=75.86, <0.01).

CONCLUSION

PFNA is a recommended option for the treatment of senile patients with intertrochanteric fracture. However, there were a lot of complications when femoral intertrochanteric fractures happened in aged patients, especially prevention and treatment of pulmonary embolism, promptly corrected low hemoglobin and low albumin, and reduce complications.