The likelihood of fat embolism is extremely low. This risk is further reduced with a skilled surgeon who knows how to perform reaming correctly.
Pulmonary embolism may result from blood clots that can break loose (usually from the legs) and move to the lungs. Your doctor may prescribe a blood thinner like Xarelto to decrease this risk. It is essential to walk and not just stay in bed all day to prevent blood clots. Individuals with weight bearing nails rarely experience this problem since they are able to walk.
Non-union is also uncommon. A competent surgeon should detect this early and prevent excessive limb lengthening if there is a risk. It is important to mention that the current selection of weight bearing nails (such as Betzbone and G-Nail) cannot reverse, unlike Precice nails! Therefore, with Precice nails, if non-union is a concern, it can be addressed by reversing the lengthening slightly and allowing the bone to heal. This feature is not available with the other types of nails.
