Does Red Cell Distribution Width Predict Hip Fracture Mortality Among the Arab Population? A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures impose significant morbidity and mortality. Red cell distribution width (RDW) appears to be an emerging tool in predicting mortality following hip fractures. Several factors can influence the RDW value including genetic factors and ethnicity. The purpose of the study was to assess the relation between RDW level at admission and hip fracture mortality within 6 months among Arab/Middle East populations. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study including 549 patients (274 female and 275 male) diagnosed with a hip fracture undergoing surgery from February 2016 to December 2019. All included patients shared the same country of origin which is Arab Middle East country. Statistical analysis, including binary regression, was performed to assess the relationship between RDW and mortality within 6 months of admission. Other predictors of mortality following hip fracture surgery were also assessed. RESULTS: The mean age was 76.42 (±9.19) years. Seventy (12.8%) of participants died within 6 months. No statistically significant association (P=0.053) between RDW level at admission and mortality within 6 months of surgery was found. Binary regression demonstrated that the only independent predictors of mortality were age (P= 0.003, odds ratio 1.048 with 95% CI 1.016 to 1.080) and male gender (P= 0.021, odds ratio 1.872 with 95% CI 1.100 to 3.185). CONCLUSION: Although the previous studies reported that RDW is one of the predictors of mortality in hip fracture patients, our study found no relation in the Arab population. This finding may confirm the influence of genetic factors and ethnicity on RDW value. We recommend further large-scale multicenter studies to solidly establish the relationship between RDW and hip fracture mortality among the Arab/Middle East population.

Identical twins with Pierre Robin syndrome; unusual encounter.

New born babies could suffer from multiple craniofacial abnormalities, such as Pierre Robin syndrome, which consists of micrognathia and relative macroglossia with or without cleft palate. Although Pierre Robin syndrome is well described in literature, only a few have mentioned its occurrence in identical twins. This paper presents a rare incident of full-term twin babies born with the sequence of Pierre Robin syndrome, which consists of micrognathia, cleft palate, and glossoptosis. Although it is a rare coincidence, Pierre Robin syndrome still can occur in identical twin babies. The treatment is a step-by-step approach, but all procedures are mainly directed to widening the pharyngeal space.