Hemodynamic significance of pediatric femur fractures.

PURPOSE

To determine whether hemodynamically significant bleeding occurs after pediatric femur fractures.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review was performed; demographic and injury data were collected for all patients with the diagnosis of femur fracture over a 30-month period at a level/ pediatric trauma center. Included were patients with multisystem injury and patients with femur fractures as the only injury. The incidence of hemodynamic insufficiency, the reasons for and timing of transfusions, and the changes in hematocrit levels over time were evaluated.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-eight children were identified (182 femur fractures). There were 116 boys and 62 girls, and the mean age was 6.04 +/- 4.5 years (range, 1 month to 19 years). The mechanisms of injury included falls (46), pedestrian/ motor vehicle accidents (43), motor vehicle crashes (19), sports accidents (22), abuse (10), and miscellaneous (38). The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 5.88 +/- 3.93 (range, 4 to 29). There were no deaths. The length of hospital stay was 8.13 +/- 9.37 days (range, 1 to 43 days). Prehospital treatment included early immobilization. Fracture treatment was according to recognized orthopedic techniques based on age, size, and fracture configuration. The mean hematocrit in the emergency department was 34% +/- 3.5% (range, 27.8% to 44.4%) and 32% +/- 6.6% (range, 16.9% to 47.8%) at 24 hours. 67 patients (38%) suffered multiple injuries. Mean ISS for this group was 9.4 +/- 5.0 (range, 5 to 29). Four patients had hemodynamic insufficiency at the time of admission. All were in the multiple-injury group Seven of these 67 patients (10%) required transfusion-three in the first 24 hours (two in the emergency department [associated with severe facial/scalp bleeding] and one in the operating room [associated with severe liver injury]) and four after the first 24 hours (three associated with intraoperative orthopedic procedures and one with a hemothorax). The mean age of those who underwent transfusion was 8.29 +/- 4.79 years, and their mean ISS was 13.71 +/- 4.61. All patients who required transfusion had been injured in motor vehicle crashes or in pedestrian/motor vehicle accidents. One hundred eleven children had isolated closed femur fractures. No patient in this group had evidence of hemodynamic insufficiency or required transfusion. The initial mean hematocrit was 34.5% +/- 2.7%, and the mean 24-hour hematocrit was 34.6% +/- 3.2%. We found that (1) no child with an isolated closed femur fracture had evidence of hemodynamic instability, or showed significant blood loss as evidenced by a decreasing hematocrit at 24 hours, and (2) in this series, evidence of hemodynamic insufficiency and/or the need for transfusion was found only in multiply injured children.

CONCLUSION

Hemodynamic instability or evidence of a declining hematocrit in the child should not be attributed to a closed femur fracture and that other sources of blood loss must be found.