Change in preoperative expectations in patients undergoing staged bilateral primary total knee or total hip arthroplasty.

The objective of this study was to compare preoperative expectation scores between stages in patients with bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). For patients with TKA (57), ICC was 0.449, indicating fair agreement between stages; expectations did not change for 31% of patients, whereas 40% had higher and 29% had lower expectations. For patients with THA (55), ICC was 0.663, indicating moderate agreement; expectations did not change for 42% of patients, whereas 38% had higher and 20% had lower expectations. In multivariable analyses controlling for first expectation score, second expectation score was associated with better Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index stiffness score for TKA and with worse Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index function score for patients with THA. For most patients, expectations changed between staged bilateral TKA and THA, but the direction of change was not uniform.

Thromboprophylaxis after hip fracture: evaluation of 3 pharmacologic agents.

We compared the clinical efficacy and side-effect profiles of aspirin, dextran 40, and low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) in preventing thromboembolic phenomena after hip fracture surgery. All patients admitted with a diagnosis of hip fracture to our institution between July 1, 1987, and December 31, 1999, were evaluated. Study inclusion criteria were age 65 years or older, previously ambulatory, cognitively intact, home-dwelling, and having a nonpathologic intertrochanteric or femoral neck fracture. Each patient received mechanical thromboprophylaxis (above-knee elastic stockings) and 1 pharmacologic agent (aspirin, dextran 40, or enoxaparin); patients who received aspirin were also given a calf sequential compression device. Meeting the selection criteria and included in the study were 917 patients. Findings included low incidence of thromboembolic phenomena (deep vein thrombosis, 0.5%-1.7%; pulmonary embolism, 0%-2.0%; fatal pulmonary embolism, 0%-0.5%) and no difference among the 3 pharmacologic agents in thromboembolic prophylaxis efficacy. Use of enoxaparin was associated with a significant increase (3.8%) in wound hematoma compared with dextran 40 (1.6%) and aspirin (2.4%) (P<.01). The 3 agents were found not to differ with respect to mortality, thromboembolic phenomena, hemorrhagic complications, or wound complications.

Hip fracture outcomes in patients with Parkinson's disease.

In a prospective, consecutive study conducted at a university teaching hospital, we evaluated the effects of Parkinson's disease (PD) on hip fracture outcomes. We followed 920 community-dwelling patients, aged 65 or older, who sustained a hip fracture that was operatively treated between July 1, 1987, and June 30, 1998. Presence or absence of PD had no bearing on type of surgery performed. Examined outcomes were postoperative complication rates; in-hospital mortality; length of hospital stay; discharge status (to home or to a skilled nursing facility); and mortality rate, place of residence, recovery of prefracture ambulatory ability, and return to prefracture activities of daily living (ADLs) 1 year after surgery Thirty-one patients (3.4%) had a history of PD before hip fracture. Patients with PD were more likely to be male, to live with another person, to have less ambulatory ability, and to be dependent in ADLs before hip fracture. Compared with patients without PD, they were hospitalized significantly longer and were more likely to be discharged to a skilled nursing facility. In addition, they declined more in level of independence in basic ADLs but not as much in instrumental ADLs at 1-year follow-up. Rates of postoperative complications, recovery of ambulatory ability within 1 year, and mortality within 1 year did not differ. These findings may guide orthopedic surgeons in counseling patients with PD and a hip fracture.

Temporal and geographic variation in hip fracture rates for people aged 65 or older, New York State, 1985-1996.

We describe temporal and regional variation in hip fracture rates for people aged 65 or older in New York state (NYS) from 1985 to 1996. Our descriptive study was of all hip fracture cases admitted to NYS hospitals during that period. Case data were obtained from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) of the NYS Department of Health. US Census Bureau population estimates were obtained for each year from 1985 to 1996 to compute the annual hip fracture rate for each NYS county. These rates were adjusted for differences in age, gender, and race and were compared using logistic regression. Approximately 14,000 hip fractures occurred annually from 1985 to 1996. The annual rate (number of hip fractures per 1000 population) decreased from 6.4 in 1985 to 5.3 in 1996. White women aged 85 or older had the highest rate (26/1000); nonwhite men aged 65 to 69 had the lowest rate (<1/1000). Statewide annual rates decreased slightly over time, but this change was not reflected in all age, gender, and race subgroups. There was important, consistent variation in county rates after adjustment for age, gender, and race. Other researchers have identified geographic variation in national rates, but the postulated environmental and weather-related factors (eg, water fluoridation use; rainfall and sunshine amounts) have explained only a small proportion of this variation. Identification of risk factors that can better explain regional rate variation may lead to development of intervention strategies that could significantly reduce the risk for hip fracture among people 65 or older.

The effects of weather and seasonality on hip fracture incidence in older adults.

This study examined the effect of weather and seasonality on hipfracture incidence in older adults residing in New York City. A total off 66,346 patients aged > or = 65 years who sustained a fracture of the femoralneck or intertrochanteric region from 1985 to 1996 comprised the study population. Hip fractures were more likely to occur in the winter than in any of the other seasons (P<.001). Factors significantly correlated with hip fractureincluded minimum daily temperature (r=.167, P<.001), daily wind speed (r=.166, P<.001), maximum daily temperature (r=.155, P<.001), minutes of sunshine (r=.067, P<.01), and average relative humidity (r=.033, P=.03). A greater number of hip fractures occurred in colder months, withambient temperature rather than any adverse circumstances related to rainor snowfall associated most closely to injury. As most fractures occurredindoors, precipitation is less likely to play a part in hip fracture occurrence in this population.

Gender differences in patients with hip fracture: a greater risk of morbidity and mortality in men.

OBJECTIVE: To determine gender-specific differences in prefracture status and postoperative outcome in elderly hip fracture patients who were ambulatory, community-dwelling, and cognitively intact prior to fracture. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Urban orthopedic referral hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 983 consecutive patients (206 males and 777 females) who sustained a nonpathologic hip fracture were followed for a minimum of 12 months. INTERVENTION: Operative treatment of a proximal femur fracture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Postoperative medical complications, place of discharge, 1-year mortality, and postoperative recovery of ambulation, basic activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living. RESULTS: Men were more likely to be married or living with someone else, and they were more dependent in instrumental activities of daily living than women prior to hip fracture. Furthermore, men were sicker as evidenced by a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists rating of preoperative risk. Postoperatively, men were more likely to sustain a medical complication and had a higher mortality at 1 year compared to women. There were no statistically significant gender differences in patient age, fracture type, prefracture level of help, ambulation, or dependence in basic activities of daily living, place of discharge, and postoperative recovery of ambulation as well as basic and instrumental activities of daily living. CONCLUSIONS: Male gender was a risk factor for sustaining a postoperative complication as well as a higher mortality at 1 year post hip fracture.

The relation between discharge hemoglobin and outcome after hip fracture.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the last hemoglobin level before patient discharge on outcome after hip fracture. We retrospectively reviewed data prospectively collected from July 1987 to December 1997 on 844 community-dwelling patients 65 or older who had sustained an operatively treated femoral neck or intertrochanteric fracture. Women with postoperative hemoglobin levels below 12.0 g/dL and men with levels below 13.0 g/dL were classified as having anemia. The main outcome measures were mortality, return to ambulatory ability, and return to activities of daily living at 3, 6, and 12 months. Hemoglobin data were available for 714 patients (85%). At time of last hemoglobin level measurement before discharge, 643 (90.1%) of the 714 patients were classified as having anemia. Patients who had sustained a femoral neck fracture that was treated with internal fixation were less likely to have anemia than were patients who had sustained a femoral neck fracture that was treated with hemiarthroplasty and patients who had sustained an intertrochanteric fracture (P < .001). Patients with anemia at the last discharge were not at increased risk for adverse outcomes at 3, 6, or 12 months compared with patients who did not have anemia.

Predictors of discharge to a skilled nursing facility following hip fracture surgery in New York State.

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture is always a very traumatic event, especially for an older person. Often, it is followed by a marked decrease in the level of functioning a patient is able to achieve after recovery. It is even more debilitating when a previously independent person must be discharged to an institution. OBJECTIVE: This study examined factors and trends associated with discharge to a skilled nursing facility following hip fracture surgery. METHODS: Data were analyzed for 89,723 hip fracture patients admitted in New York State from 1986 to 1996. Factors examined included age, gender, race, type of fracture, surgical technique, comorbidities, length of hospitalization and year of admission. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent (32,130) of the patients were discharged to skilled nursing facilities. They tended to be 85+ years old, female, white, have 3+ comorbidities, a history of dementia, have sustained an intertrochanteric fracture, and have been admitted after 1990. In addition, there was a gradual increase in institutionalizations after 1990. CONCLUSION: In this study, factors were found that predicted discharge to skilled nursing facilities following hip fracture.

Clinical pathway for hip fractures in the elderly: the Hospital for Joint Diseases experience.

Hip fractures are common injuries in the elderly and are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Although technical advances in the treatment of the elderly have resulted in improved fracture fixation and surgical outcomes, clinical pathways have been developed to further improve patient outcome while shortening hospital length of stay after hip fracture. We describe the clinical pathway used since 1990 at the Hospital for Joint Diseases. The outcomes of 747 patients treated before 1990 were compared with outcomes of 318 patients treated at our hospital after initiation of the clinical pathway. Use of the clinical pathway was associated with significant decreases in the acute care hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and 1-year mortality.

Effect of postoperative delirium on outcome after hip fracture.

Nine-hundred twenty-one community-dwelling patients 65 years of age or older, who sustained an operatively treated hip fracture from July 1, 1987 to June 30, 1998 were followed up for the development of postoperative delirium. The outcomes examined in the current study were postoperative complication rates, in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, hospital discharge status, 1-year mortality rate, place of residence, recovery of ambulatory ability, and activities of daily living 1 year after surgery. Forty-seven (5.1%) patients were diagnosed with postoperative delirium. Patients who had delirium develop were more likely to be male, have a history of mild dementia, and have had surgery under general anesthesia. Patients who had postoperative delirium develop had a significantly longer length of hospitalization. They also had significantly higher rates of mortality at 1 year, were less likely to recover their prefracture level of ambulation, and were more likely to show a decline in level of independence in basic activities of daily living at the 1-year followup. There was no difference in the rate of postoperative complications, in-hospital mortality, discharge residence, and recovery of instrumental activities of daily living at 1 year.

In-hospital mortality after femoral neck fracture: do internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty differ?

In this article, we examine rates of in-hospital mortality of elderly patients with femoral neck fracture treated with internal fixation or hemiarthroplasty. Data were analyzed for 51,003 patients (> or = 65 years old) admitted with femoral neck fractures to New York state hospitals between 1985 and 1996. The primary outcome examined was in-hospital mortality. Associations between type of surgical procedure and outcome were assessed using a multiple logistic regression model, adjusting for patient age, sex, race, number of comorbidities, and residence in a nursing facility before hip fracture. Approximately 30% of the study group had undergone open or closed reduction and internal fixation; the other 70% had undergone hemiarthroplasty. Forty-six percent of the internal fixation group and 56% of the hemiarthroplasty group were 85 years old or older (P < .001). Median hospital stays were 13 days for the internal fixation group and 15 days for the hemiarthroplasty group (P < 001). In-hospital mortality was 5.1% overall, 3.9% for the internal fixation group, and 5.6% for the hemiarthroplasty group (P < .001). The association between type of procedure and mortality held after adjusting for patient age, sex, and number of comorbidities (odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-1.56; P < .001). After controlling for potential confounding variables, we found that elderly patients who had undergone hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fracture were more likely to die during hospitalization than those who had undergone internal fixation.

Mortality risk after hip fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the mortality risk following hip fracture and identify factors predictive of increased mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Tertiary care orthopaedic hospital. BACKGROUND: Approximately 250,000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States. The greatest mortality risk following hip fracture has been demonstrated to be within the first 6 months of fracture, and some studies report that the risk approaches expected mortality after 6 months. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that an increased risk of mortality may persist for several years postfracture. The purpose of this study was to assess the excess mortality associated with hip fracture at up to 2 years postinjury. METHODS: All patients with a hip fracture who were admitted to our institution over a 10-year period were evaluated. Criteria for inclusion included: Caucasian, age 65 or older, previously ambulatory, and home dwelling. Patients were followed prospectively to determine the mortality risk associated with hip fracture over a 2-year follow-up period. Mortality was compared to a standardized population and standardized mortality ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Eight hundred thirty-six patients met the inclusion criteria and were included. The mortality risk was highest within the first 3 months following fracture, with standardized mortality ratios approaching that of the control population by two years. Patients age 65-84 had higher mortality risk when compared with patients age > or =85. American Society of Anesthesiologists classification was predictive of increased mortality risk in younger patients, with these patients having triple the mortality risk when compared to the reference population at 2-year follow-up. More elderly patients had minimal excess mortality associated with hip fracture at 1- and 2-year follow-up, regardless of ASA classification. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate that hip fracture is not associated with significant excess mortality amongst patients older than age 85. Amongst younger patients, however, those with ASA classifications of 3 or 4 have significant excess mortality following hip fracture that persists up to 2 years after injury.

Unipolar versus bipolar hemiarthroplasty: functional outcome after femoral neck fracture at a minimum of thirty-six months of follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: This investigation was undertaken to compare a series of elderly individuals who sustained a displaced femoral neck fracture treated with either a cemented bipolar prosthesis or a cemented modular unipolar prosthesis. DESIGN: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Hospital-based tertiary care orthopaedic trauma practice. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred eighty-one community dwelling elderly patients sixty-five years of age or older who sustained a displaced femoral neck fracture (Garden Types III-IV) and underwent primary prosthetic replacement. INTERVENTION: One hundred one patients received a cemented bipolar prosthesis and 180 received a cemented modular unipolar prosthesis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The study was designed to determine whether there were any significant differences in: (a) the rate of prosthetic dislocation, postoperative medical and wound complications, or need for revision surgery, and (b) the functional outcome, including the incidence of hip pain and recovery of preinjury levels of ambulatory status and activities of daily living, at a minimum of thirty-six months of follow-up. RESULTS: The two groups of patients did not differ in preinjury characteristics (age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologist rating of operative risk, number of comorbidities, fracture type, activities of daily living, ambulatory status). There were no significant differences in the rates of postoperative medical or wound complications or dislocation. Ninety-two patients died during the period of study. Forty patients were lost to follow-up or refused to participate. Consequently, 149 patients were followed for a minimum of thirty-six months. Functional ability was compared between both groups with regard to recovery of ambulatory status and activities of daily living, as well as the incidence of hip pain at a minimum of thirty-six months of follow-up. No significant differences were found between the unipolar and bipolar groups. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, there does not appear to be any advantage to the use of a bipolar endoprosthesis in the management of displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly. Furthermore, the extra cost of bipolar endoprostheses does not seem to warrant its use.

The relationship between admission hemoglobin level and outcome after hip fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of admission hemoglobin level on patient outcome after hip fracture. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, consecutive. PATIENTS: From July 1991 to June 1997, 395 community-dwelling patients sixty-five years of age or older who had sustained an operatively treated femoral neck or intertrochanteric fracture were prospectively followed up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Postoperative complications, in-hospital mortality rate, hospital length of stay, hospital discharge status, place of residence at one year, and mortality and recovery of ambulatory ability and activities of daily living status at three, six, and twelve months. RESULTS: Women with admission hemoglobin levels below 12.0 grams per deciliter and men with admission hemoglobin levels below 13.0 grams per deciliter were classified as anemic. One hundred eighty patients (45.6 percent) were considered anemic on admission. Patients who were anemic were more likely to have an American Society of Anesthesiologists rating of III or IV and have sustained an intertrochanteric fracture. Hospital length of stay and mortality rate at six and twelve months were significantly higher for patients who were anemic on admission. There were no differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, hospital discharge status, place of residence at one year, in-hospital mortality rate, and three-month mortality rate between patients who were and were not anemic on admission. In addition, there were no differences in the recovery of ambulatory ability and of basic and instrumental activities of daily living status at three, six, and twelve months between the two patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients at risk for poor outcomes after hip fracture can be identified by assessing hemoglobin levels at hospital admission.