Abstract
BACKGROUND: The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a clinical reaction that can occur due to a variety of stimuli. Reamed intramedullary femoral nailing is a common orthopedic surgery that has been shown to induce SIRS. To date, no nationwide analyses have been performed to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and economic burdens of SIRS following intramedullary femoral nailing for femoral shaft fractures. The objective of this study is to investigate the independent predictors, incidence, post-operative, and economic burden of SIRS among patients treated with intramedullary nailing for femoral shaft fractures. METHODS: We utilized the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to identify patients who underwent intramedullary femoral nailing and were diagnosed with non-infectious SIRS (NI-SIRS) based on ICD-10-CM coding. Identified patients who underwent intramedullary femoral nailing were dichotomized into SIRS and Non-SIRS groups to assess independent predictors of SIRS development, and to compare post-operative complications and costs. RESULTS: A total of 65,240 patients with femur shaft fractures underwent IMFN, of which 665 (1.0 %) developed NI-SIRS. Patients with NI-SIRS had a higher incidence of laparotomy (OR = 13.97, p < 0.001), initial treatment with external fixation (OR = 1.845, p < 0.001), and late application of external fixation (OR = 4.884, p = 0.005). Routine discharge (OR = 0.491, p < 0.001) was less likely in patients with NI-SIRS. Length of stay (12.38 days vs 7.16 days, p < 0.001) and total charges ($278, 590 vs $145,118, p < 0.001) were both increased in patients with NI-SIRS. CONCLUSION: NI-SIRS is associated with increasing injury severity and post-operative complications. Those that developed NI-SIRS experienced higher healthcare resource utilization. Risk factors associated with development of NI-SIRS warrant further investigation.