Unreamed intramedullary nailing of acute femoral shaft fractures using a traction device without fracture table.

The authors present a simple distraction apparatus that makes it possible to perform nonreamed intramedullary nailing of the femur on a normal operating table. Nonreamed intramedullary (IM) nails were inserted in 24 femoral shaft fractures using this device. The setup time of this device was 60% shorter compared with a stratified group of 28 femoral nailings performed using the fracture table. The authors feel that this device is a safe and effective alternative to using a fracture table. It is especially useful in the polytrauma patient where the additional lesions can be treated without the need for patient transfer to another table.