Fat embolism: special situations Bilateral femoral fractures and pathologic femoral fractures

Summary Few data are available in the literature regarding fat embolism in cases of bilateral femoral and pathological femoral fractures. The incidence of bilateral femoral fractures ranges from 2–9.5% of the total number of patients with femoral fractures, and they usually occur in high energy trauma and multitrauma patients. Although injury severity scores tend to underestimate the severity of these injuries, fat embolism seems to occur in increased frequency ranging from 4.8–7.5%. Intramedullary nailing, which is the preferred surgical treatment, triggers a systemic inflammatory response that poses an additional burden to pulmonary function. In addition, the femur is a common site of metastatic bone disease. The treatment of impending and actual pathological fractures is complicated by increased rates of lung damage due to various factors. Fat embolism during treatment—mainly with intramedullary nails—generally seems to range from 0–10%.