TAB,
I just reviewed the films again and I disagree (perhaps you misunderstood your wife's prognosis). The knee joint is not involved and I see no need for a Total Knee Arthroplasty. There is adequate room to apply a distal femoral plate. The fracture is supracondylar (The LISS plate can even be used for intra-articular fractures). There would be no involvement of the hip unless the repair were done with an intramedullary nail. Perhaps that was her recommended repair. I believe that I would go with a Synthes distal femoral LISS plate. The LISS plate is available in 5 to 13 screw length and could be sized to provide adequate stability both above and below the fracture. Just my .02
I don't have any medical training but I've seen lots of pictures and x-rays of similar wounds. I think Kid is right about a plate fixing the femur.
Yea! What he said!

I agree with Kid....and no I ain't a medical professional....and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn........
My left thigh looked about like the photo except without an 'entrance wound'.
I had a major compound fracture and actually lost about a 4" section of the bone completely (they never found it and I envisioned a scraggly-assed little mutt running around a neighborhood playing with it). I also lost a good sized chunk of muscle tissue after multiple debridement surgeries over a month to remove trash and tissue.
With the application of an IM Rod (intermedulliary rod ? Kid?) and an application of a new 'bondo-like' substance called 'calcergen paste' to the missing place where the bone was supposed to be, six months later the bone had grown back together (only 3/4" shorter than it once was). My knee was broken in several places, but they saved it.
He may be OK.