Spotlight on Research

Femoral shaft and neck fractures are painful injuries which, if managed sub-optimally, can lead to a significant increase in length of hospital stay and overall mortality. Early management of these injuries with effective analgesia, splinting and fracture reduction, has been shown to reduce mortality rates and associated complications such as fat emboli. It has also been shown to assist in the management of haemorrhagic shock.

This Australian systematic review focused primarily upon prehospital pain management and the success rates of interventions provided to patients with neck of femur or femoral shaft fractures by non-physicians. The study team undertook a meta-analysis of papers gathered from the search of four databases (Medline, CINAHL, EmBase and Evidence Based Medicine Reviews). Following article screening, 19 papers were included in the final review. The study team extracted data if interventions decreased the patient's pain, if the intervention could be applied successfully, and if there were any adverse events resulting from the intervention. They did note that studies involving traction splints did not report pain scores and so could not be commented upon.