When people are involved in a car crash, they can suffer serious injuries, such as fractures and dislocations. However, there are major complications of these injuries that are often overlooked. For this reason, proper management is required to ensure that patients have the best chance to achieve a successful recovery.
Among the many traumatic injuries that someone can suffer in an auto accident, femoral neck fractures are among the most common. This type of bone fracture takes place in the femur, which has multiple parts including the shaft, neck, and head. The neck of this bone is among the most common places that a femur fracture occurs because it represents a narrow point between the head and the shaft. While the head and shaft are relatively thick, the femoral head is thin. This can occur in a car crash with any sort of trauma to the legs because the legs are exposed to many forces in a car crash, particularly if the front of the car is compressed during the event. A femoral neck fracture is typically seen with another routine injury in car accidents as well.
Hip Dislocations Are Common
In addition to bone fractures, dislocations can occur in car crashes as well. One of the most common dislocations that might occur is a hip dislocation. Specifically, people who are involved in a car crash where they collide with an object or vehicle in front of them are at risk of developing a dashboard knee. This happens when the individual strikes their knee on the dashboard. However, if the front of the car is crumpled at the same time, these forces applied to the lower legs can be transmitted up through the bones and into the hip. The head of the femur can be dislocated in the posterior direction in this event, leading to a hip dislocation that develops along with a femoral neck fracture. This serious injury combination has the potential to lead to major complications down the road.
A Complication Can Result In Both
Because of how common these injuries are, it is important to get the management right. A team of medical professionals conducted a chart review at their hospital and sought to find every case where a patient had sustained both a posterior hip dislocation and a femoral neck fracture in an auto accident. Then, they looked at the management of these patients and their respective outcomes. They found that the most common complication that patients suffered after these injuries were avascular necrosis of the femoral head. This is because with both of these injuries there is a chance that the medial femoral circumflex artery could be transected. This important artery supplies blood to the head of the femur. If this artery is cut, the blood supply to the femoral head is cut off. This means that the head of the femur is deprived of its important oxygen and nutrient supply, leading to the death of bone tissue and the loss of function of the femoral head. The research paper found that earlier operative intervention resulted in improved patient outcomes. This means that time is of the essence. Furthermore, for patients who develop this complication, a total hip replacement is vital for restoring function to the patient and ensuring that they can walk and ambulate. Finally, patients who sustain a hip replacement will require physical therapy to learn how to use their hip replacement. While preventing this complication is important, it is vital to managing it properly should it develop.
Legal Issues Related to Healthcare
When someone sustains complications as a result of his or her injuries in an auto accident, other issues could develop. Patients may have difficulty understanding all of the options available to their recovery. There could be issues related to insurance and covering the costs of their treatment choices. It is possible that the accident could have extenuating circumstances related to it. These can add a significant amount of stress to an already difficult situation. When individuals and loved ones have questions, speaking with an experienced attorney can help provide some answers. A lawyer can help families review all of the options at their disposal so that they can make the proper decisions based on the information at hand.
Image Attribution: The x-ray was located originally on Wikimedia Commons and has been shown here with the permission of the CC BY SA, License version 3.0. :dr cha [cs 822]
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