ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infection (SSI) following fragility hip fracture (FHF) surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. SIGNIFICANCE: Prediction of patients at risk for SSI is fundamental. We aimed to determine whether subcutaneous radiographic fat measurement (SRM) is associated with increased SSI risk. METHODS: A retrospective case-control comparison of SRMs at 3 locations around the hip. Patients diagnosed with SSI in the first post-operative year were matched with age, gender, surgical year, Charlsons' co-morbidity index score, and surgical type controls, not diagnosed with SSI, at a 1:2 ratio. Measurements included the distance between (1) the sourcil to skin surface (SS), (2) the tip of the greater trochanter to skin surface (TGTS), and (3) the most prominent lateral aspect of the greater trochanter to skin surface. RESULTS: 1430 patients were operated during the study period, of whom 45 patients presented with a diagnosis of SSI and compared to 90 controls. Infections occurred 27.4 ( ± 24.8) days following surgery. SRM significantly differed between groups, and all were higher in the study group; SS, 86.8 ± 25.5 cm vs 74.2 ± 15.3 cm; TGTS, 59.8 ± 26.3 cm vs 47.0 ± 15.8 cm; and LGTS, 45.4 ± 25.1 cm vs 33.2 ± 15.1 cm (P = .003, .004, and .004, respectively). Intraclass correlation coefficients (intra-rater) were high for all measurements (.999 for all). Intraclass correlation coefficients (inter-rater) for SS, TGTS and LGTS were high, .749 (.663.815), .792 (.719.847) and .817 (.751.866), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SRMs were found to be a valid and reproducible tool for predicting high risk of SSI in geriatric patients sustaining FHFs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and osteoporosis are both diseases of epidemic proportions with an increasing incidence worldwide. Fragility hip fractures (FHF) are associated with elevated morbidity, mortality, social burden and medical costs. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with DM have worse medical and surgical outcomes following FHFs and whether the Diabetes Complications Severity Index (DCSI) can predict in-hospital complications and one-year mortality. METHODS: A single centre retrospective cohort study including 1343 patients older than 65 years who underwent surgery for FHFs was conducted. The data collected included length of hospital stay, time-to-surgery, blood loss, complications and mortality during the first post-operative year. RESULTS: 408 patients with a DM diagnosis were compared with 935 without DM. Pre-operatively, patients with DM had lower haemoglobin levels, higher platelet counts and worse renal function. Following surgery, patients with DM were more likely to be transferred to another department or intensive care. One-year mortality was significantly higher in the DM group [23.3% vs. 17.1%, odds ratio 1.36 (CI 1.029-1.799, p = 0.03)]. Higher DCSI scores were related with elevated one-year mortality rates in the DM group. Cerebrovascular events were found to be nearly five times more prevalent in the DM group. Patients with DM were more likely to continue treatment in a rehabilitation centre and had a higher probability to be re-hospitalized in the first post-operative year (p.<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results emphasize the increased vulnerability of this patient population and the importance of specialized care during the peri-operative period of FHFs.
