Epidemiology of femoral shaft fratures in Poland

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Femoral shaft fractures are undoubtedly a common issue in orthopedic practice, which frequently requires surgical treatment. The clinical significance of such fractures is high, but the statistics of their occurrence was not covered in any comprehensive study in Polish medical literature. THE AIM OF THE STUDY. The study aimed to assess the incidence of femoral shaft fractures in the Polish population with particular reference to the mechanism of such events in pediatric patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The assessment of the total incidence and the incidence in individual age groups was performed basing on data concerning 2015-2018 obtained from the National Health Fund. Data regarding the mechanism of the event were obtained at the Pediatric Teaching Clinical Hospital, University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw. RESULTS. We assessed the total incidence at the level of 10.5 cases per 100 000 inhabitants yearly in Poland. A significant difference was noted in the incidence in individual age groups, particularly in the elderly. The incidence of femoral shaft fractures in patients older than 70 was twofold higher than in the general population. The paper also tackles the issue of mortality in patients with femoral shaft fractures, which reaches 16% annually. High-energy trauma was responsible for the majority of femoral shaft fractures in children with the dominant activity being trampoline jumping. At the same time, the incidence was comparable between boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS. The obtained results were discussed against statistics concerning other countries with the outcomes being rather similar. No significant differences were observed as regards the Polish population versus populations of other countries.