Paediatric femoral shaft fractures: what are the concomitant injuries?

Abstract

Trauma remains a substantial cause of paediatric morbidity and mortality. Femur fractures are common in children, and frequently are the result of high-energy mechanisms of injury. A complete description of missed injuries in this population has not previously been described. A retrospective chart review of patients presenting to the Alberta Children's Hospital with femoral shaft fractures was performed. Associated injuries, and injuries with delayed diagnosis were recorded. Twenty-percent of the patients suffered at least one other injury with their femur fracture. Six-percent of injuries had a delayed diagnosis, corresponding to three-percent of the patients reviewed. There is a risk of missed injuries in the paediatric patient presenting with a femoral shaft fracture. Paediatric trauma teams and paediatric orthopaedic teams must be aware of this risk to help reduce the incidence of missed injuries. A tertiary trauma survey on children with paediatric femoral shaft fractures may help diagnose missed injuries.