This is a retrospective study of 102 patients with intertrochanteric hip fractures comparing the operative results of short gamma nail™ fixation with the sliding hip screw. The average patient age in the study is 83 years (range 52–94 years) with 87% females. The transfusion requirements between the two groups did not differ but a slightly larger decrease in hemoglobin levels was seen at 48 h in the gamma nail group. In neither group were there any intra-operative fractures or infections which led to a return to the operating room. The average length of stay for both groups was identical at 6.9 days. Twenty-seven short gamma nail patients and 18 compression hip screw patients were followed for 6 months. There were no instances of cut-out in either group but the short gamma nail group had middle/middle lag screw placement on the AP and lateral views more often than the compression hip screw (50%) group at 6 months. We conclude that the short gamma nail can be used effectively for the fixation of intertrochanteric hip fractures without the occurrence of potentially devastating complications such as intraoperative femur fracture, periprosthetic fracture or lag screw cut-out.