BACKGROUND: The widely accepted practice of early fracture fixation (EFF) in multiply injured patients has recently been challenged in the presence of head injury. DATA SOURCES: English and German language articles on the subject were searched using Medline. Keywords included head trauma, intracranial trauma, brain injuries, fractures, fracture fixation, timing, femur fracture, and tibia fracture. CONCLUSIONS: The available literature does not provide clear-cut guidance on the management of fractures in the presence of head injuries. The trend is toward a better outcome if the fractures are fixed early. Treatment should therefore be tailored to the individual patient, with the assumption that full neurologic recovery will take place.
BACKGROUND: The widely accepted practice of early fracture fixation (EFF) in multiply injured patients has recently been challenged in the presence of head injury. DATA SOURCES: English and German language articles on the subject were searched using Medline. Keywords included head trauma, intracranial trauma, brain injuries, fractures, fracture fixation, timing, femur fracture, and tibia fracture. CONCLUSIONS: The available literature does not provide clear-cut guidance on the management of fractures in the presence of head injuries. The trend is toward a better outcome if the fractures are fixed early. Treatment should therefore be tailored to the individual patient, with the assumption that full neurologic recovery will take place.
Authors: Hans-Christoph Pape; Dieter Rixen; John Morley; Elisabeth Ellingsen Husebye; Michael Mueller; Clemens Dumont; Andreas Gruner; Hans Joerg Oestern; Michael Bayeff-Filoff; Christina Garving; Dustin Pardini; Martijn van Griensven; Christian Krettek; Peter Giannoudis Journal: Ann Surg Date: 2007-09 Impact factor: 12.969
Authors: N Enninghorst; R Peralta; O Yoshino; R Pfeifer; H C Pape; B M Hardy; D C Dewar; Z J Balogh Journal: Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg Date: 2011-11-03 Impact factor: 3.693
Authors: C Probst; M J Mirzayan; P Mommsen; C Zeckey; T Tegeder; L Geerken; M Maegele; A Samii; M van Griensven Journal: Mediators Inflamm Date: 2012-03-04 Impact factor: 4.711