 will need to follow up the patient with periodic X-rays of the area. If patients are confined to bed rest as part of the management for these fractures, they will need to be closely monitored for complications that can occur from prolonged immobilization. These include infections, bed sores, pneumonia, the formation of blood clots, and nutritional wasting.
There are usually two types of anesthesia for surgeries- general and regional anesthesia. In rare circumstances where patients are very ill, we can perform the surgery under local anesthesia with sedation. Patients will be assessed for their fitness for surgery by the anesthetist and in some cases, other specialists such as cardiologist might be called in to perform pre-surgery checks.
Femoral Neck Fractures
In undisplaced femoral fractures, several screws are placed across the fracture site to stabilise the fracture. In some cases, a large single screw (dynamic hip screw) is used instead of several small screws.
Displaced fractures in young patients are treated differently from older patients (60 and above). In the young, these fractures are realigned into their normal anatomical positions and then held in place by screws as described above. However, in about 20-30% of cases, a complication called osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis can occur. This term refers to “bone death” of the femoral head and eventually, the round head can collapse and flatten and in the long-term, the patient will develop arthritis.
Displaced fractures in the elderly are treated by removing the femoral head and replacing it with a metal prosthetic head. This is known as a hemiarthroplasty procedure. In some patients with pre-existing arthritis of the hip, a total hip replacement is performed.
An intertrochanteric fracture can be stabilised with an intramedullary nail or a dynamic hip screw (mentioned above).
These fractures are stabilised using an elongated intramedullary nail. These are very unstable fractures that usually result from high-velocity type injuries and there are potential complications of delayed fracture healing.
After surgery, hip fracture rehabilitation plays an important role in assisting in your recovery and getting you back to your daily activities. For a comprehensive treatment for your fracture problems, please contact our orthopaedic surgeon today.