Search

Objectives: To measure 1-year post-hip fracture functional recovery, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and mortality in nursing home residents., Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study., Setting and Participants: Ambulatory nursing home residents with or without impaired cognition consecutively admitted with hip fracture to three Canadian tertiary-care hospitals from March 2008 through November 2009., Measurements: Participants or proxy respondents completed the Functional Independence Measure Motor score (FIM(motor) ) and EuroQol5D index score (EQ-5D(index) ) in the hospital (prefracture status) and 3, 6, and 12 months after fracture. Complications over the first postfracture year were also ascertained; the primary outcome was functional recovery (change in FIM(motor) score)., Results: Of 92 eligible participants, 60 (64%) were enrolled. The mean age was 86.9 ± 8.1, 42 (70%) were female, and 45 (75%) had three or more comorbidities. Forty-three (72%) walked independently with or without aids before fracture. By 12 months, 27 (45%) participants had died, and 10 (17%) had withdrawn. Of the remaining 23 participants, functional status according to FIM(motor) score dropped substantially and significantly after the fracture (3 months, 34.0 ± 19.7; 6 months, 33.2 ± 19.7; 12 months, 32.0 ± 20.0; P < .001 from a baseline FIM(motor) score of 50.1 ± 16.1). By 12 months after the fracture, only eight (35%) were walking independently, and 11 (48%) were no longer ambulatory. HRQL according to the EQ-5D(index) also decreased significantly (P = .003), from 0.62 ± 0.20 before fracture to 0.42 ± 0.30 by 12 months after fracture., Conclusion: Hip fracture for nursing home residents was associated with substantial loss of functional independence, ambulation, and HRQL. Little recovery was evident after the first 3 months; there was almost 50% mortality within 12 months., (© 2012, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2012, The American Geriatrics Society.)

Low serum albumin may have prognostic value for morbidity and mortality in patients with hip fracture. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the independent association between low serum albumin (<35 g/l) at hospital admission and short-term (in-hospital) mortality and post-operative complications of patients with hip fracture. We reviewed a prospective population-based cohort of 583 hip fracture patients who had pre-operative albumin values measured at hospital admission in one of the 3 tertiary hospitals in Northern Alberta, Canada. Patients with a primary diagnosis of hip fracture and 65 years or older were included. The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and any pre-specified post-operative complication. Mean serum albumin level was 33.8±4.5 g/l (±S.D.), and overall 55% (n=318) of patients had a low albumin. The in-hospital mortality was 8% (n=46) and rate of any non-fatal post-operative complication rate was 31/100. Mortality was 11% (n=35) among those with low albumin levels and 4% (n=11) for those with normal values (unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.86, 95% CI=1.42-5.74). After multivariate adjustment, the association between low serum albumin and mortality remained large and statistically significant (adjusted OR=2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.17-5.12). Low albumin levels were also significantly associated with post-operative medical complications (adjusted OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.36-2.83). We conclude that routine measurement of serum albumin provides valuable prognostic information for treating this frail population., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hip fractures, common in the elderly population, result in significant morbidity and mortality. A study was undertaken to determine how an evidence based clinical pathway (CP) for treatment of elderly patients with hip fracture affected morbidity, in-hospital mortality, and health service utilization., Methods: A pre-post study design using two population based inception cohorts of hip fracture patients aged > or =65 years was used. The control group (n = 678) was enrolled between July 1996 and September 1997 before implementation of the pathway and the CP group (n = 663) was enrolled between July 1999 and September 2000 following pathway implementation. Chart reviews were completed during study time frames to determine complications, mortality, and health service utilization., Results: Only nine patients (1%) in the CP group experienced postoperative congestive heart failure compared with 37 (5%) control patients (p<0.001). Postoperative cardiac arrythmias were significantly lower in the CP group than in the control group (8 (1%) v 36 (5%); p<0.001). Postoperative delirium occurred in 22% of the CP group and 51% of the control group (p<0.001). There was no difference in risk adjusted in-hospital mortality between the two groups. Overall length of stay (LOS) and costs were unchanged between the groups; however, hospital LOS increased while rehabilitation LOS decreased in the CP group., Conclusion: Implementation of an evidence based clinical pathway reduced postoperative morbidity and did not affect in-hospital mortality or overall costs of inpatient care. The effect of changing trends in medical care cannot be ruled out, but the reduction in complications in several clinical areas lends support to the positive impact of the clinical pathway. Perioperative CP is one successful management approach for this fragile patient population as patient morbidity was reduced without negatively affecting resource utilization.

Background: Conventional wisdom suggests high-quality care for most patients with hip fractures is surgical fixation within 24 hours to reduce mortality and complications, although there is little evidence to support this standard., Objectives: We sought to determine the relationship between timing of hip fracture surgery and early mortality., Design and Subjects: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study of 3981 patients with hip fractures>60 years of age that were admitted to hospitals in one Canadian health region from 1994-2000., Methods: We collected sociodemographic, prefracture comorbidity, and postoperative complication data. Timing of surgery was classified as within 24 hours ("early surgery," the referent group for all analyses), 24-48 hours, and beyond 48 hours. Main outcome was in-hospital mortality. We used multivariable logistic regression methods, including adjustments with propensity scores and a validated hip fracture-specific mortality index, to determine the independent association between early versus later surgery and mortality., Results: Median age of patients was 82 years, 71% were women, and 26% had >4 prefracture comorbidities. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was 6%; it was 5% for those who had surgery within 24 hours or from 24 to 48 hours, 10% for surgery beyond 48 hours, and 21% for patients that did not have surgery. Compared with those who had surgery within 24 hours, there was no independent association between timing of surgery and in-hospital mortality (24-48 hours, adjusted odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.62-1.30, P=0.55; beyond 48 hours 1.30, 95% confidence interval 0.86-2.00], P=0.21)., Conclusions: The timing of surgical fixation of hip fracture was not associated with early mortality in carefully adjusted analyses, and the use of "surgery within 24 hours" as a measure of high quality care may be inappropriate.

Objective: To determine whether standardized early rehabilitation and discharge planning increase risk-adjusted function and reduce risk-adjusted institutionalization in the first 6 months after hip fracture., Design: Pre-post study of 2 independent population-based inception cohorts., Setting: Two tertiary hospitals in an urban health region., Participants: Patients with hip fracture (N=919) 65 years and older., Intervention: Subjects were enrolled before (control) and after (intervention) implementation of standardized rehabilitation and discharge planning., Main Outcome Measures: Function and institutionalization status were assessed at time of fracture and 3 and 6 months postfracture. Administrative databases provided length of stay (LOS) data., Results: After risk-adjustment, the Barthel Index score was significantly lower 3 months postfracture in control patients with low social support compared with those with higher social support (P<.05). Social support did not affect 3-month function in the intervention cohort. Control subjects with low social support were also significantly more likely to reside in long-term care by 6 months postfracture than intervention subjects with similar social support or those with higher social support (odds ratio=3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-7.5). Total LOS did not change between cohorts., Conclusions: Overall, standardized rehabilitation and discharge planning did not affect postoperative function or institutionalization in elderly patients with hip fracture. In intervention patients with low social support, function improved and institutionalization was reduced.

Objectives: To determine evidence-based best practices for elderly hip fracture patients from the time of hospital admission to 6 months postfracture., Data Sources: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro, Ageline, NARIC, and CIRRIE databases were searched for potentially eligible articles published between 1985 and 2004., Review Methods: Two independent reviewers determined studies appropriate for inclusion using standardized selection criteria, extracted data, evaluated internal validity, and then rated studies according to levels of evidence. Only Level 1 or 2 evidence was included in our summary of clinical recommendations., Results: Spinal anesthesia, pressure-relieving mattresses, perioperative antibiotics, and deep vein thromboses prophylaxes had consistent evidence of benefit. Routine preoperative traction was not associated with any benefits and should be abandoned. Types of surgical management, postoperative wound drainage, and even "multidisciplinary" care, lacked sufficient evidence to determine either benefit or harm. There was little evidence to either determine best subacute rehabilitation practices or to direct ongoing medical issues (e.g., nutrition). Studies conducted during the subacute recovery period were heterogeneous in terms of treatment settings, interventions, and outcomes studied and had no clear evidence for best treatment practices., Conclusions: The evidence for perioperative practices is relatively robust and evidence-based perioperative treatment guidelines can be easily established. Conversely, more evidence is required to better guide the care of elderly patients with hip fracture during the subacute recovery period and convalescence.

Unlabelled: Our objectives were to better define the rates and determinants of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after hip fracture. We studied a population-based cohort of 3981 hip fracture patients. Using multivariable regression methods, we identified risk factors for mortality (older age, male sex, long-term care residence, 10 prefracture co-morbidities) and calculated a hip fracture-specific score that could accurately predict or risk-adjust in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Our methods, after further validation, may be useful for comparing outcomes across hospitals or regions., Introduction: Hip fractures in the elderly are common and associated with significant mortality and variations in outcome. The rates and determinants of mortality after hip fracture are not well defined. Our objectives were (1) to define the rate of in-hospital and 1-year mortality in hip fracture patients, (2) to describe co-morbidities at the time of fracture, and (3) to develop and validate a multivariable risk-adjustment model for mortality., Materials and Methods: We studied a population-based cohort of 3981 hip fracture patients > or =60 years of age admitted to hospitals in a large Canadian health region from 1994 to 2000. We collected sociodemographic and prefracture co-morbidity data. Main outcomes were in-hospital and 1-year mortality. We used multivariable regression methods to first derive a risk-adjustment model for mortality in 2187 patients treated at one hospital and then validated it in 1794 patients treated at another hospital. These models were used to calculate a score that could predict or risk-adjust in-hospital and 1-year mortality after hip fracture., Results and Conclusions: The median age of the cohort was 82 years, 71% were female, and 26% had more than four prefracture co-morbidities. In-hospital mortality was 6.3%; 10.2% for men and 4.7% for women (adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.4). Mortality at 1 year was 30.8%; 37.5% for men and 28.2% for women (adjusted p < 0.001). Older age, male sex, long-term care residence, and 10 different co-morbidities were independently associated with mortality. Risk-adjustment models based on these variables had excellent accuracy for predicting mortality in-hospital (c-statistic = 0.82) and at 1 year (c-statistic = 0.74). We conclude that 1 in 15 elderly patients with hip fracture will die during hospitalization, and almost one-third of those who survive to discharge will die within the year. The determinants of mortality were primarily older age, male sex, and prefracture co-morbidities. Our hip fracture-specific risk-adjustment tool is pragmatic and reliable, and after further validation, may be useful for comparing outcomes across different hospitals or regions.