Some Lose Independence After Surgical Tx of Femoral Neck Fx

WEDNESDAY, March 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A considerable proportion of older patients with femoral neck fracture are institutionalized or require walking aids 12 months after surgical treatment for their injury, according to a study published online Feb. 18 in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.

Emil H. Schemitsch, M.D., from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, and colleagues quantified changes in living status, use of aids, and factors associated with living and walking independently 12 months after fracture.

The researchers found that 3.07 and 19.81 percent of patients aged 50 to 80 years and patients aged older than 80 years, respectively, who lived independently before hip fracture were institutionalized 12 months after the injury. Overall, 33.62 and 69.34 percent of those aged 50 to 80 years and those aged older than 80 years, respectively, who were walking independently before injury needed a walking aid at 12 months after the injury. Being aged 50 to 80 years, having a Class I American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, not using a walking aid before the fracture, being a nonsmoker or former smoker, and having acceptable quality of implant placement were associated with higher chances of living independently. Being aged 50 to 80 years, having a Class I ASA classification, living independently before the fracture, being a nonsmoker or former smoker, having an undisplaced fracture, and not requiring revision surgery were associated with increased chances of walking without an aid.

“Our findings may also inform future research by identifying high-risk patients who may benefit from new interventions and adjuncts to care,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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