Hip fracture care has evolved, largely due to standardisation of practice, measurement of outcomes and the introduction of the Best Practice Tariff, leading to the sustained improvements documented by the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD). The treatment of distal femoral fractures in this population has not had the same emphasis. This study defines the epidemiology, current practice and outcomes of distal femoral fractures in four English centres. 105 patients aged 50 years or greater with a distal femoral fracture, presenting to four UK major trauma centres between October 2010 and September 2011 were identified. Data was collected using an adapted NHFD data collection tool via retrospective case note and radiograph review. Local ethics approval was obtained.Background
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