Abstract:

Abstract:Objective To investigate the relationship between the proximal femoral nail (PFN) fixation and postoperative anemia in the elderly patients with intertrochanteric fractures , and clarify whether the elderly PFN fixation of intertrochanteric fractures is the main risk factor  for postoperative anemia.Methods From January 2006 to August 2009, 43 patients with intertrochanteric fractures were selected( PFN treatment group), aged 71-95 years, with an average age of 82 years, 23 male and 20 female, according to Evans classification:ⅢA 20 cases, ⅢB 17 cases, Ⅳ type 6 cases;cause of injuries:25 cases of slip and fall ,15 cases of traffic accident fall ,3 cases of other diseases induced fall in a fainted.Control group, 19 cases, aged 70-85 years, mean 80 years old, 11 males and 8 females;according to Evans classification:ⅢA 9 cases, ⅢB 6 cases, Ⅳ type 5 cases;cause of injuries:11 cases of slip and fall, 7 cases of　traffic accident fall, 1 case of other diseases induced fall in a fainted.The number of red blood cells(RBC), hemoglobin(HB) and hematocrit(HCT) in PFN treatment group before and after operation were compared with control group.Results The number of preoperative RBC, HB, HCT before operation in PFN treatment group had no significant difference compared with control group (P> 0.05);the number of RBC, HB, HCT 2 and 3 d after operation in PFN treatment group were significantly decreased compared with before surgery(P<0.05).The number of RBC, HB, HCT 1 week after admission in control group were lower compared with admission,but there was no significant difference (P> 0.05).Conclusion The internal fixation of PFN in elderly patients with intertrochanteric fracture can lead to postoperative anemia, and recessive loss of blood is the main reason for postoperative anemia.

Key words: femoral fractures;anemia;proximal femoral nails;internal fixation