”DAMAGE CONTROL“ STRATEGY IN THE TREATMENT OF POLYTRAUMA PATIENTS WITH OPEN FEMORAL SHAFT FRACTURE COMBINED WITH SPLENIC RUPTURE - A CASE REPORT

oleh: Ivan Golubović, Predrag Stojiljković, Zoran Golubović, Goran Stevanović, Ivan Micić, Zorica Antić, Aleksandar Višnjić, Stevo Najman, Dragan Milić, Milan Grubor, Sonja Stamenić, Danilo Stoiljković, Miroslav Trojanović

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: University in Nis, Faculty of Medicine 2011-09-01

Deskripsi

Polytrauma represents the most difficult form of trauma epidemic. Appropriate treatment of the femoral shaft fracture in polytrauma patients can significantly reduce mortality and morbidity. External skeletal fixation in patients with femoral shaft fracture presents a minor surgical trauma with minimal blood loss. In modern trauma centres, external skeletal fixation in polytrauma patients is a temporary method (as a part of „damage control“strategy) where immediate extensive internal fixation could be risky. It is usually postponed until the patient status is stable with normal vital parameters.This paper presents a polytrauma patient with dominant abdominal injury and femoral shaft fracture. During the same operation, external skeletal fixation was applied after abdominal surgery was done. Conversion of external into internal fixation was carried out because of postoperative febrile state that lasted for 14 days. External skeletal fixation was a definitive method of treatment. Fracture of the femoral shaft healed after 7 months with good functional outcome.External skeletal fixation is a successful method of treatment for femoral shaft fracture in polytrauma patients. It is a temporary method as a part of „damage control“ strategy and is usually followed by internal fixation. Sometimes, it is a definitive treatment method in patients with open and comminuted fractures of the femoral shaft and in polytrauma patients when the above mentioned conversion is not safe.