Pattern of Femoral Fractures Associated with Road Traffic Accident in Patients Admitted at Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute

Background: Worldwide, road injuries cause over 1.3 million deaths and many more disabilities annually. Approximately one in ten road injuries involves a femoral fracture. This study aimed to assess the pattern of femoral fractures due to road traffic accidents in 70 patients who were admitted at Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in September 2019. 

Method: Patient demographics, the accident, diagnosis, and treatment characteristics were recorded by a well-organized questionnaire and analyzed through Microsoft Excel 2016.

Results: Among the 70 inpatient cases, males were 82.9%, most were unmarried (36, 51.4%), had already finished standard seven education (41, 58.6%), and were in the private sector (25, 35.7%). Most got accidents in Ilala district (29, 30%), specifically motorbike accidents (36, 51.4%), during the night and ended up with closed fractures (62 patients, 88.6%) on the proximal part (28, 40%) of the right femur (38, 54.3%). Many of them arrived at the hospital in less than 1 hour (47, 67.1%). Intramedullary nailing (53, 75.1%) and external fixation (13, 18.6%) were the primary treatment modalities used to manage fractures.

Conclusion: Without proper care, the consequences can be life-threatening. This study offers unique information on epidemiological patterns of femoral fractures, pertinent both to medical care providers and health policymakers to allocate resources and formulate prevention strategies to deal with the burden of road traffic accidents.