Comparision effect of initial stabilisation with external fixator and skeletal traction on thromboembolism in femur fractures

Objective:Skeletal traction, which has been used extensively in the treatment of fractures in the past, is a valid method that can be used as a temporary stabilization method for femoral fractures in many cases. İn this study, we investigated whether skeletal traction may be an alternative to external fixator as initial stabilization in femoral fractures. Material and method: 230 patients who were admitted to Dicle University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology between 01/01 / 2004-20 / 05/2019 and whose femur fractures were detected and all the information was obtained were included in the study.58 patients with external fixator and 172 patients with skeletal traction were retrospectively evaluated.Age, sex, trauma mechanism, concomitant injuries,comorbidity, blood replacement requirement, initial stabilization method, time to final treatment, operationduration, infection, clinical consultations, orders and progressions were examined. The two groups were compared in terms of VTE, operationduration, blood loss, and infection rates. All evaluations in our study were performed with 95% confidence.p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Student - t test (Indenpendent Sample T test) was used to compare parametric values of two independent groups. Chi-square test was used in two independent groups to compare categorical (nominal, ordinal) data. Results: There was no difference between two groups in terms of age, gender, type of trauma, fracture level, concomitant injuries, comorbidity, prophylaxis, VTE (p> 0,05). Skeletal traction was superior in terms of operation duration, blood loss and infection rates (p < 0,05). Conclusion: Skeletal traction is a good option for initial stabilization of all penetrating and non-penetrating femoral fractures except in cases of massive soft tissue injury and vascular injury. Key words: Femoral fractures, VTE, DVT, PTE, skeletal traction, external fixator.