Cross-match protocols for femoral neck fractures--finding one that can work.

BACKGROUND: Cross-match practice for patients with femoral neck fractures continues to cause concern due to a failure of compliance to the existing protocols. To address this issue, a number of studies were conducted over a 3-year period. METHODS: First, the existing cross-match practice for patients admitted with femoral neck fractures was reviewed to demonstrate the deficiencies within the system. Second, the opinion of anaesthetic and orthopaedic trainees was assessed regarding blood requirements for different femoral neck fractures following surgery and the justification of their perceptions. RESULTS: A summation of the studies is reported which demonstrates the reasons for the poor compliance to previous protocols. CONCLUSIONS: A simple and effective protocol is provided that has helped reduce pre-operative cross-matching of femoral neck fractures from 71% to 16.7% when assessed 2 years after its introduction.