Prolonged femoral external fixation after natural disaster: Successful late conversion to intramedullary nail aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2008.0038Keywords:
-Abstract
After the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004, orthopaedic injuries were a major healthcare problem in parts of South East Asia. We report our late encounter with an Indonesian patient treated acutely with external fixation of a femur fracture. We describe our procedure for conversion of prolonged external fixation (59 days) to an intramedullary nail (IMN) aboard the USNS Mercy and provide two-year follow-up. A review of current literature on conversion of femoral external fixation to IMN is included.This report highlights the potential pitfalls of external fixation of femur fractures in an austere postnatural disaster environment where orthopaedic follow- up care may be delayed or nonexistent.References
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