Comparable outcomes of reverse shoulder arthroplasty for proximal humerus fractures and for rotator cuff arthropathy in a predominantly asian population.

Background: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) was initially developed for rotator cuff arthropathy but has been expanded to treat comminuted proximal humerus fractures. Few studies have compared RSA for traumatic and degenerative indications. We present the first report of mid-term outcomes of RSA comparing both indications in an Asian population. Methods: 113 degenerative and 20 fracture patients underwent RSA from 2010 to 2019. Patients with degenerative indications were 4:1 propensity-score matched to fractures and adjusted for age and sex. Patients were assessed for range of motion (ROM), strength, pain, Constant-Murley score (CMS), University of California Los Angeles Shoulder Score (UCLA) and Oxford shoulder score (OSS) preoperatively, at 6-months and 1-year. Patients' satisfaction, expectation fulfilment and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) were analysed. Results: Degenerative patients had better ROM, isometric strength and CMS at 6-months, although at 1-year only abduction was superior (104.8 ± 17.3° vs 86.7 ± 19.8°). No significant differences in pain, UCLA and OSS were observed. Most improvements occurred within 6 months. Similar proportions of patients were satisfied (83.3% vs 73.3%, p = 0.460) and attained MCID (85.0% vs 86.7%, p = 1.000) at 1-year. Discussion: Although initially exhibiting slower recovery, patients with proximal humerus fractures can expect similar functional recovery and satisfaction at 1-year compared to those who received RSA for degenerative indications.

Developing a Simpler Prognosticating Tool: Comparing the Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery Score with Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index and The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Score in Predicting 2 years Mortality after Hip Fracture Surgery.

Background: The use of risk stratification tools in identifying high-risk hip fracture patients plays an important role during treatment. The aim of this study was to compare our locally derived Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery (CARES) score with the the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) score and the Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index (D-CCI) in predicting 2-year mortality after hip fracture surgery. Methods and Material: A retrospective study was conducted on surgically treated hip fracture patients in a large tertiary hospital from Jan 2013 through Dec 2015. Age, gender, time to surgery, ASA-PS score, D-CCI, and CARES score were obtained. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess statistical significance of scores and risk factors, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to compare ASA-PS, D-CCI, and CARES as predictors of mortality at 2 years. Results: 763 surgically treated hip fracture patients were included in this study. The 2-year mortality rate was 13.1% (n = 100), and the mean ± SD CARES score of surviving and demised patients was 21.2 ± 5.98 and 25.9 ± 5.59, respectively. Using AUC, CARES was shown to be a better predictor of 2-year mortality than ASA-PS, but we found no statistical difference between CARES and D-CCI. A CARES score of 23, attributable primarily to pre-surgical morbidities and poor health of the patient, was identified as the statistical threshold for "high" risk of 2-year mortality. Conclusion: The CARES score is a viable risk predictor for 2-year mortality following hip fracture surgery and is comparable to the D-CCI in predictive capability. Our results support the use of a simpler yet clinically relevant CARES in prognosticating mortality following hip fracture surgery, particularly when information on the pre-existing comorbidities of the patient is not immediately available.

The effect of the comorbidity burden on vitamin D levels in geriatric hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with hip fractures often have multiple medical comorbidities, and vitamin D deficiency is common in this population. Accumulating evidence links low vitamin D levels to various comorbidities. However, very little is known about the collective impact of comorbidities on vitamin D levels. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a validated comorbidity burden index. We hypothesized that a high CCI score is associated with vitamin D deficiency in elderly patients with hip fracture. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all hospitalized elderly patients aged > 60 years admitted for low-energy hip fracture in a single tertiary hospital from 2013 to 2015. Data regarding patient demographics, fracture type, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and age-adjusted CCI score were collected and analysed. RESULTS: Of the 796 patients included in the study, 70.6% (n = 562) of the patients were women and the mean age was 77.7 ± 8.0 years. The mean vitamin D level was 20.4 ± 7.4 ng/mL, and 91.7% ofhospitalized elderly patients with hip fracture had inadequate vitamin D level. There was no correlation between the individual serum vitamin D level with respect to age-adjusted CCI (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.01; p = 0.87). After stratifying the CCI scores into low and high comorbidity burden groups (i.e., with scores 1-2 and ≥ 3), there was no relationship between the 2 subgroups for age-adjusted CCI and vitamin D levels (p = 0.497). Furthermore, there was also no association among age, gender, fracture type, and smoking status with the mean 25(OH)D level (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low vitamin D levels were highly prevalent in our hip fracture cohort. There was no relationship between the CCI score and vitamin D levels in the geriatric hip population. The comorbidity burden in geriatric patients with hip fractures did not seem to be a significant factor for vitamin D levels.

Sub-optimal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level affects 2-year survival after hip fracture surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Hypovitaminosis D is a common condition seen in patients with acute hip fracture. We hypothesize that in addition to the other prognosticating factors, hypovitaminosis D may affect survival in patients treated for hip fractures. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) on the survivability after surgical fixation of hip fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied data collected from January 2013 through December 2015 at a large tertiary hospital in Singapore. Patient's age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), delay of surgery, fracture patterns, ASA score, as well as their pre-operative serum levels of 25(OH)D, albumin and calcium were examined. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse post-operative outcomes including short (inpatient, 30 and 90 days) and long-term mortality (2 years). RESULTS: Data from 1004 patients were used. Information on the serum level of 25(OH)D was available in 80% of them (n = 801) and more than 90% (n = 735) of the patients had a baseline serum level of less than 30 ng/ml. Mortality rate within this group were 1.1% (n = 9) at 30 days, 1.9% (n = 15) at 90 days and 11.0% (n = 88) at 2 years follow up. Hypovitaminosis D was not a significant risk predictor for short-term mortality, but found to be a significant predictor at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we showed a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among the osteoporotic hip fracture population and its impact on 2-year survivorship after hip fracture surgery.

Comorbidity as the dominant predictor of mortality after hip fracture surgeries.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of surgical delay and comorbidities with the risk of mortality after hip fracture surgeries. We found that CCI was the dominant factor in predicting both short- and long-term mortality, and its effect is vital in the prognostication of survivorship. INTRODUCTION: Hip fracture is a growing concern and a delay in surgery is often associated with a poorer outcome. We hypothesized that a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) portends greater risk of mortality than a delay in surgery. Our aim was to investigate the associations of surgical delay and CCI with risk of mortality and to determine the dominant predictor. METHODS: This retrospective study examines hip fracture data from a large tertiary hospital in Singapore over the period January 2013 through December 2015. Data collected included age, gender, CCI, delay of surgery, fracture patterns, and the American Society of Anaesthesiologist (ASA) score. Post-operative outcomes analyzed included mortality at inpatient, at 30 and 90 days, and at 2 years. RESULTS: A total of 1004 patients with hip fractures were included in this study. Study mortality rates were 1.1% (n = 11) during in-hospital admission, 1.8% (n = 18) at 30 days, 2.7% (n = 27) at 90 days, and 13.3% (n = 129) at 2 years. Lost to follow-up rate at 2 years was 3.3%. We found that CCI was consistently the dominant factor in predicting both short- and long-term mortality. A CCI score of 5 was identified as the inflection point above which comorbidity at baseline presented a greater risk of mortality than a delay in surgery. CONCLUSION: Our analysis showed that CCI is the dominant predictor of both short- and long-term mortality compared with delay in surgery. The effect of CCI is vital in the prognostication of mortality in patients surgically treated for hip fractures.

The Effect of Comorbidities and Age on Functional Outcomes After Total Knee Arthroplasty in the Octogenarian: A Matched Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organization data repository, the average life expectancy at birth for Singapore in 2015 has risen to 83.4 years, and many octogenarians (OG) remain active socioeconomically. The aim of this study is to compare the improvement and the impact of comorbidities on functional recovery after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between OG and their younger counterparts. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data from a single institution arthroplasty register. Between January 2006 and December 2011, 209 OG with primary knee osteoarthritis underwent TKA. Each OG (mean age 82 ± 2.1) was then carefully matched to a younger control group (YG, mean age 66 ± 4.5). Their postoperative outcomes measured include Oxford Knee Score (OKS), SF36-Physical Function (SF-PF), and knee society rating score comprising of Knee Score (KS) and Function Score (FS). Their respective degrees of improvement were compared and adjusted for their baseline comorbidities, measured using the Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index (D-CCI). RESULTS: There were more comorbidities among the OG (P < .05). Both groups saw the largest improvement (P < .05) during the first 6 months. There was no statistical significance between their improvement for OKS, KS, and FS between baseline and 6 months and OKS, FS, and SF-PF between 6 and 24 months. Adjusted for D-CCI using linear regression, the above results remained largely unchanged. DISCUSSION: In our study, both groups showed significant improvement across all functional outcomes, especially during the first 6 months. The improvement observed in OG at 6 and 24 months was comparable to that of YG, despite an overall higher baseline D-CCI. CONCLUSIONS: Total knee arthroplasty is a viable treatment option for the OG, offering good functional outcomes and results at 6 and 24 months when compared to their younger counterparts.