Efficacy of TiRobot assistance in distal locking for femoral intramedullary nailing

This study compares the efficacy of the TiRobot with traditional external aiming frames in distal locking of femoral intramedullary nails. A cohort of 44 patients, who underwent intramedullary nailing treatment for femoral fractures between October 2020 and October 2023, was retrospectively analyzed. Participants were allocated into 2 groups. The observation group (n = 22) received TiRobot assistance for distal locking of femoral intramedullary nails, and the control group (n = 22) was managed using conventional external aiming frames. Key variables included the first-attempt success rate of distal locking, number of fluoroscopic exposures, time to achieve locking, and volume of intraoperative blood loss. The observation group, assisted by TiRobot, achieved a significantly higher first-attempt success rate of 90.9%, as compared to 54.5% in the control group. All initial failures were subsequently managed manually, with a statistically significant difference noted between the groups (P < .05). Furthermore, the observation group required fewer fluoroscopic exposures (11.00 ± 2.93) than the control group (19.68 ± 16.28) (P < .05). The time to achieve locking was significantly shorter in the observation group (14.05 ± 3.37 min) compared to the control group (24.41 ± 14.93 min) (P < .05). The volume of intraoperative blood loss was reduced in the observation group (54.55 ± 5.54 mL) versus the control group (60.45 ± 11.01 mL) (P < .05). The incorporation of TiRobot in the distal locking of femoral intramedullary nailing prominently enhances the first-attempt success rate, reduces the procedural time and intraoperative blood loss, and diminishes the radiation exposure for both healthcare providers and patients.