A comparison between the effects of simple and traction splints on pain intensity in patients with femur fractures

BACKGROUND Fractures of femur are among the most important causes of mortality in musculoskeletal injuries. Owning to lack of adequate research to compare various techniques of fracture stabilization, there has not yet been an agreement over a protocol to utilize a specific type of splint for femoral fracture immobilization. This study was thus conducted to compare the effects of simple and traction splints on pain intensityimmediately after and at the 1(st), 6(th), and 12(th)h after splinting among patients with femur fracture in the centers affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Isfahan, Iran). MATERIALS AND METHODS This quasi-experimental study was performed on 32 patients with femur fractures. Prehospital emergency ambulances were divided into two groups of simple and traction splints using a table of random numbers. Continuous convenient sampling was employed in each group to use either a simple or a traction splint for the patients with femur fractures. Pain intensity of the patients was then measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) immediately, 1 h, 6 h, and 12 h after splinting. The effects of the two techniques were finally compared. RESULTS After splinting, pain intensity decreased significantly in both groups (P = 0.0001 in both groups). The reductions were significantly more in the traction splint group at the 1(st), 6(th)(P = 0.0001), and 12(th)h after splinting (P = 0.02) compared with the simple splint group. There was no significant difference in pain intensity immediately after splintingbetween the two groups (P = 0.441). CONCLUSION The significant difference in pain reduction between the simple and traction splint groups at the 1(st), 6(th), and 12(th)h after splinting emphasizes the superiority of traction splints.