title: Injuries associated with fracture of the femur secondary to motor vehicle accidents in children.
abstract: A retrospective review of the medical records of 149 children < 18 years old who sustained femur fractures secondary to a motor vehicle accident found 159 fractured femurs; 89.3% were closed. One hundred seventy-nine associated injuries occurred in 87 patients (58.4%). Associated fractures were common (50.3%), followed by soft-tissue injuries (18.5%) and head injuries (14%; 3 deaths). The lower limbs were most commonly involved with associated fractures (37.8%), 9 had a "floating knee." The incidence of intra-abdominal injury was 5%, with the liver most commonly lacerated followed by the spleen and intestine. Forty-seven children (43.1%) developed 1 or more complications. The Pediatric Trauma Score ranged from -3 to 11 (73.8% scored > or = 8, while 26.2% scored < 8). Fractures of the femur in children are commonly associated with other injuries, particularly other fractures.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ayman H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Jawadi
authors.forename: Mervyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Letts
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000150:complications; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome