INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH A FRACTURED SHAFT OF THE FEMUR

A knowledge of injury patterns, both from the mechanism of injury and from their associations, allows specific injuries to be suspected and actively excluded. We have reviewed fractures of the femoral shaft to highlight the patterns of their associated high morbidity and mortalit y. Our survey shows that accidents involving motorcyclists, pedestrian s and motor cars have the highest incidence of associated injury. Comm on associations include chest, head, pelvis and ipsilateral leg injuri es in pedestrians, and pelvic and ipsilateral leg injuries in motorcyc lists. Rarer associations with femoral shaft fractures include ipsilat eral tibia and talus/navicular fractures in motor cyclists, knee injur ies and contralateral acetabular fractures in pedestrians and contrala teral necks of femur in motor car passengers.