By Christian Ingram
ORLANDO, Fla. — During a session on hip fractures at the Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Winter Meeting, here, William J. Hozack, MD, shared his insights and recommendations for salvage options after failed fixation of proximal femoral fractures.
While many clinicians may not deal with these fractures on a day-to-day basis in their practices, Hozack said “…open reduction and internal fixation does not always work and you need to be able to deal with it if it does not work.” 
Infection should always be looked out for in these types of cases, Hozack noted, especially when nonunion or early failure occurred. Since these surgeries are not typically done on an emergency basis, such factors as a patient’s nutritional and smoking status can be planned for in advance to ensure the optimum outcome.