Quality differences in multifragmentary pertrochanteric fractures [OTA 31A2.2 and 31A2.3] treated with short and long cephalomedullary nails.

OBJECTIVES

This study compares demographics, outcomes, and costs of patients with similar multifragmentary pertrochanteric (MP) fracture patterns treated with either a short or long cephalomedullary nail (CMN) to determine treatment efficacy and value during hospital admission.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Level-1 trauma center.

PATIENTS

384 patients who presented with a MP fracture [AO/OTA 31A2.2 and 31A2.3] at 1 of 3 hospitals within a single academic medical center.

INTERVENTION

Surgical treatment with either short or long CMN Main outcome measurements: Operative time, in-hospital complications, discharge disposition, procedural and total costs of admission.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine (18.0%) patients were treated with long CMNs compared to 315 patients treated with short CMNs. Patients treated with long CMNs had increased rates of transfusions of allogenic packed red blood cells (52.2% vs 34.0%, p = 0.005), discharge to rehabilitation facilities (91.3% vs 80.3%, p = 0.030), and had costlier hospital stays ($28,632.50 vs $23,024.86, p = 0.014) with longer (74.9 vs 52.3 min, p <0.001), costlier procedures and implants ($12,090.31 vs $9,647.41, p = 0.014) compared to patients treated with short CMNs. There were no differences in timing of radiographic healing, rates of readmission, nonunion, screw cut out, fixation failure, or peri‑implant fracture.

CONCLUSIONS

Short and long CMNs are equally suitable implants for the most unstable intertrochanteric fracture patterns. Short CMNs correlate with reduced operative time and costs with non-inferior in-hospital complication rates, hospital quality measures, and less frequent rehabilitation facility discharges. Given the similar long-term outcomes demonstrated here and in the literature, this data suggests nail length selection should be driven more by cost and discharge considerations for MP fractures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

level III.