Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture

Femoral nails are used to provide fixation for fractured long bones. These constructs simultaneously provide stability and union in nearly 10% of cases of premature failure. The goal of this investigation was to develop and test different models of the femur using cephalomedullary nail fixation. The...

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Main Authors: Stephen Whatley, Farah Hamandi, Indresh Venkatarayappa, Tarun Goswami
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Metals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/13/3/509
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author Stephen Whatley
Farah Hamandi
Indresh Venkatarayappa
Tarun Goswami
author_facet Stephen Whatley
Farah Hamandi
Indresh Venkatarayappa
Tarun Goswami
author_sort Stephen Whatley
collection DOAJ
description Femoral nails are used to provide fixation for fractured long bones. These constructs simultaneously provide stability and union in nearly 10% of cases of premature failure. The goal of this investigation was to develop and test different models of the femur using cephalomedullary nail fixation. These models represent three different types of hip fractures (intracapsular, intertrochanteric, and subtrochanteric fractures). By testing the different fracture types, one can determine the fracture tolerance of the constructs from the resulting forces that occur due to the activities of daily living. Understanding the effects that the loads will have on the integrity of the nail-bone construct may help reduce the risks that could arise through its use. The computational simulations performed indicate that an undamaged femur can withstand the forces of 4.4× the body weight of the average adult male. A subtrochanteric femur fracture, however, can only withstand over 2.3× the same weight, nearly 50% lower than the normal femur. Regarding this lower amount, it is not impossible that an overloading scenario could occur. The data from the gait cycle show that, with a subtrochanteric fracture, the nail experiences stress that is just within the fatigue limit of the material. Given the collected data, subtrochanteric fractures are the most likely candidates for causing failures when comparing fracture types. In general, understanding the effects that different loads have on the integrity of the nail-bone construct may help reduce the risks that could arise through its use.
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spelling doaj.art-f474c5ecec2f4b6782ae65c941880ef52023-11-17T12:38:44ZengMDPI AGMetals2075-47012023-03-0113350910.3390/met13030509Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail FractureStephen Whatley0Farah Hamandi1Indresh Venkatarayappa2Tarun Goswami3Department of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USADepartment of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USADepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USADepartment of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USAFemoral nails are used to provide fixation for fractured long bones. These constructs simultaneously provide stability and union in nearly 10% of cases of premature failure. The goal of this investigation was to develop and test different models of the femur using cephalomedullary nail fixation. These models represent three different types of hip fractures (intracapsular, intertrochanteric, and subtrochanteric fractures). By testing the different fracture types, one can determine the fracture tolerance of the constructs from the resulting forces that occur due to the activities of daily living. Understanding the effects that the loads will have on the integrity of the nail-bone construct may help reduce the risks that could arise through its use. The computational simulations performed indicate that an undamaged femur can withstand the forces of 4.4× the body weight of the average adult male. A subtrochanteric femur fracture, however, can only withstand over 2.3× the same weight, nearly 50% lower than the normal femur. Regarding this lower amount, it is not impossible that an overloading scenario could occur. The data from the gait cycle show that, with a subtrochanteric fracture, the nail experiences stress that is just within the fatigue limit of the material. Given the collected data, subtrochanteric fractures are the most likely candidates for causing failures when comparing fracture types. In general, understanding the effects that different loads have on the integrity of the nail-bone construct may help reduce the risks that could arise through its use.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/13/3/509cephalomedullary nailfinite elementintracapsularintertrochantericsubtrochanteric
spellingShingle Stephen Whatley
Farah Hamandi
Indresh Venkatarayappa
Tarun Goswami
Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
Metals
cephalomedullary nail
finite element
intracapsular
intertrochanteric
subtrochanteric
title Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
title_full Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
title_fullStr Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
title_full_unstemmed Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
title_short Computational Simulation of a Femoral Nail Fracture
title_sort computational simulation of a femoral nail fracture
topic cephalomedullary nail
finite element
intracapsular
intertrochanteric
subtrochanteric
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/13/3/509
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AT indreshvenkatarayappa computationalsimulationofafemoralnailfracture
AT tarungoswami computationalsimulationofafemoralnailfracture