Key result
Preoperative Hamilton-Russell skin traction shows no benefit over bed rest for proximal femur fractures.
Why the study?
Does Hamilton-Russell skin traction improve pain, reduce analgesia requirements, or improve ease of operation in patients awaiting surgery for fractures of the proximal femur?
RCT (n=252)
randomly
Does Hamilton-Russell skin traction improve pain, reduce analgesia requirements, or improve ease of operation in patients awaiting surgery for fractures of the proximal femur?
Preoperative skin traction for proximal femur fractures provides no clinical benefit and its routine use should be discontinued.
Supports discontinuing routine preoperative skin traction for proximal femur fractures; confirms no benefit over free nursing in bed.
We report the results of a randomised trial to determine the effects of skin traction on 252 patients awaiting surgery for fractures of the proximal femur. They were allocated randomly to be nursed free in bed or to receive Hamilton-Russell skin traction. No differences were found between the groups in terms of pain suffered, analgesia required, frequency of pressure sores or ease of operation. The application of skin traction to patients with fractures of the upper femur is time-consuming and we recommend therefore that its routine use should be discontinued.
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Anderson et al. (1993) conducted an RCT in fractures of the proximal femur (n=252). Hamilton-Russell skin traction vs. nursed free in bed was evaluated on pain suffered, analgesia required, frequency of pressure sores or ease of operation. Preoperative Hamilton-Russell skin traction showed no differences compared to being nursed free in bed for pain, analgesia, pressure sores, or ease of operation in proximal femur fractures.
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