Abstract
Introduction Femur fractures are among the most common injuries caused by gunshots. However, distal femur fractures due to gunshots are scarcely studied in the literature.
Objective To present a cohort of patients with distal femur fractures caused by gunshots treated surgically and to analyze their complications.
Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients operated on for distal femur fractures caused by gunshots in a public hospital in an area with a vulnerable population, from 2011 to 2015. Demographic variables, days from admission to definitive surgery, intraoperative time, type of definitive osteosynthesis, complications, and one-year mortality were recorded.
Results In total, 39 patients met the inclusion criteria; they had a mean age of 30 (range: 16–53) years, and 85% were men. The mean latency until the definitive osteosynthesis was of 9.8 (range: 1–33) days. The overall complication rate was of 25.64%, with a reintervention rate of 23.08%. The main complication was infection (12.82%). There were no statistically significant factors associated with complications. There were no deaths at the one-year follow-up.
Conclusion Patients with distal femur fractures caused by gunshots present a high rate of complications, especially infections, with a high rate of reinterventions.
Level of Evidence: Type IV, retrospective study.
Keywords
distal femur - gunshot fracture - complications
