A retrospective study of hip posterior fracture-dislocation: closed reduction at the emergency department or in the operation theater?

BACKGROUND

For hip posterior fracture-dislocation, the current consensus is to perform joint reduction within 6 h to prevent sequelae. However, whether a closed reduction (CR) should be performed at the emergency department (ED) or in the operation theater (OT) remains debatable. We aimed to assess the incidence and factors predictive of CR failure at the ED in patients with hip posterior fracture-dislocation.

METHODS

Patients with hip posterior fracture-dislocation between 2009 and 2019 were included. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), injury severity score, new injury severity score, time from injury to first reduction attempt (TIR), presence of associated femoral head fracture, posterior wall marginal impaction, and posterior wall fragment size were compared between patients with CR success and patients with CR failure at the ED.

RESULTS

Fifty-five patients with hip posterior fracture-dislocation experienced CR attempts at the ED and were enrolled in the study. Thirty-eight (69.1%) hips were reduced successfully at the ED, and 17 (30.9%) experienced failure. No significant differences in age, sex, BMI, presence of femoral head fracture, marginal impaction, or size of the posterior wall fragment were found between the groups. TIR was significantly shorter in the successful CR group (2.24 vs. 4.11 h, p = 0.01). According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, 3.5 h was the cut-off time.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with hip posterior fracture-dislocation, TIR was a critical factor for successful CR. If the time interval exceeds 3.5 h from injury, the success rate of bedside CR at the ER is likely to decrease, and the OT should be prepared in case of failed bedside CR.