Safety and efficacy of a two-screw cephalomedullary nail for intertrochanteric femur fracture fixation: a retrospective case series in 264 patients

INTRODUCTION: Recent advances have led to the design of a new cephalomedullary nail, which aims to decrease the risk of failures in patients with intertrochanteric hip fractures by allowing for insertion of two interdigitating screws into the head segment. The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this two-screw cephalomedullary nailing system. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Patients 18 years of age and older who underwent intramedullary nailing of their intertrochanteric femoral fracture using the InterTAN nailing system (Smith and Nephew, Memphis, TN) from 2012 to 2016 were included in this retrospective study which was performed at two urban certified level-1 trauma centers and one urban certified level-3 trauma center. The study data was collected through a retrospective chart review and review of the existing radiographic studies. Primary outcome measure was mechanical hardware failure and screw cutout. Secondary outcome measures included nonunion, malunion, medical and surgical complications. RESULTS: A total of 264 patients were included in this analysis. Two patients (0.75%) were found to have a screw cut out requiring revision surgery. Two other revision surgeries were performed for malrotation (n = 1) and malunion (n = 1). Other implant-related complications occurred in 19 cases (7.9%), which included broken distal screws (n = 9), distal screw loosening (n = 8), and loose lag screws (n = 2). There was a total of 10 (3.8%) surgical wound complications, including four deep and six superficial infections. DISCUSSION: This modified cephalomedullary nail is a reliable, safe, and effective implant for management of intertrochanteric hip fractures. Surgical treatment of patients with intertrochanteric hip fractures can be performed in a safe fashion using this implant.