Open reduction in subtrochanteric femur fractures is not accompanied by a higher rate of complications

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Hip fractures are among the most typical geriatric fractures. Subtrochanteric fractures are considered difficult to treat, and, to date, there is no consensus on the optimal surgical treatment. Materialis and Methods: We analyzed data from the Registry for Geriatric Trauma, which includes patients ≥ 70 years old with hip fractures or periprosthetic fractures requiring surgery (21,734 patients in 2017–2019). For this study, we analyzed only the subgroup of patients with a subtrochanteric fracture. We analyzed the difference between closed and open surgical methods on a range of outcomes, including mortality, mobility, length of acute hospital stay, and the need for surgical revisions. Results: A total of 506 patients with subtrochanteric fractures were analyzed in this study. The median age was 85 years (interquartile range of 81–89). About 21.1% (n = 107) were operated on with a closed technique, 73.3% (n = 371) with open reduction without using a cerclage, and 5.53% (n = 28) with open reduction with the additional use of one or more cerclage wires. A total of 3.56% (n = 18) of the patients had complications requiring operative revision, most commonly soft tissue interventions (open vs. closed reduction—3.26% vs. 4.67%) (p = 0.687). Patients treated with open reduction were significantly more mobile 7 days after surgery (p = 0.008), while no significant effects on mortality (p = 0.312), length of hospital stay (p = 0.968), or surgical complications (p = 0.687) were found. Conclusion: Proper reduction is the gold standard practice for suc-cessful union in subtrochanteric fractures. This study shows that open reduction is not associated with a higher complication rate but does lead to increased mobility 7 days after operation. There-fore, in case of doubt, a good reduction should be aimed for, even using open techniques.