Fat embolism syndrome in femoral shaft fractures: does the initial treatment make a difference?

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify the risk factors correlated with the initial treatment performed. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving a total of 272 patients diagnosed with femoral shaft fractures. Of the patients, 14% were kept at rest until the surgical treatment, 52% underwent external fixation, 10% received immediate definitive treatment, and 23% remained in skeletal traction (23%) until definitive treatment., Results: There were six cases of fat embolism syndrome (FES), which showed that , polytrauma is the main risk factor for its development and that initial therapy was not important. Conclusion: Polytrauma patients have a greater chance of developing FES and there was no influence from the initial treatment.