Aims: There are concerns over the physiological effects of intramedullary femoral fracture stabilisation in patients with pulmonary injury. This large animal study used invasive monitoring to obtain sensitive cardiopulmonary measurements and compared the responses of ‘Early Total Care’ (intramedullary fracture fixation) and ‘Damage Control’ (external fixation), after the induction of lung injury.

Methods: Acute lung injury (PaO2/FiO2 < 200 mmHg) was induced in 12 invasively monitored and terminally anaesthetised sheep via oleic acid infusion into the right atrium. Each animal underwent surgical femoral osteotomy and fixation with either reamed intramedullary (n=6) or external fixation (n=6). Haemodynamic and arterial blood-gas measurements were recorded at baseline, 5, 30 and 60 minutes after fracture stabilisation.

Results: The mean (+/− S.E.) PaO2/FiO2 fell significantly (p< 0.05) from 401 (+/− 39) to 103 (+/− 35) and 425 (+/− 27) to 122 (+/− 21) in the externally fixated and intramedullary nailed groups respectively after acute lung injury. The further combined effect of surgical osteotomy and fracture fixation produced a mean (+/− S.E.) PaO2/FiO2 of 98 (+/− 21) and 114 (+/− 18), in the externally fixated and intramedullary nailed groups immediately after surgery. This was not significantly different within or between groups. Similarly the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) measured at 5.8 (+/− 0.8) and 4.8 (+/− 0.7) after lung injury in the externally fixated and intramedullary nailed groups changed to 5.7 (+/− 0.5) and 4.0 (+/− 0.7) after surgical osteotomy and fracture fixation (no significant difference within or between groups). The PaO2/FiO2 or PVR was not significantly different at the monitored 5, 30 and 60 minute intervals after fracture stabilisation.

Conclusion: Against a background of standardised acute lung injury, there was no further deterioration produced by the method of isolated femoral fracture fixation in sensitive physiological parameters commonly used during intensive care monitoring.