Mortality of patients following hip fractures in Barbados

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Hip fractures represent a significant health burden, particularly in elderly populations.
• High mortality rates associated with hip fractures necessitate understanding risk factors and optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mortality rates and identify risk factors in patients admitted with hip fractures.
• To evaluate the impact of surgical timing and pre-existing conditions on patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 110 hip fracture patients admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados (1996-1998).
• Data collected included patient demographics, fracture type, surgical treatment, and mortality at 6 and 12 months.
• Statistical analysis to determine correlations between age, cardiac abnormalities, surgical timing, and mortality.

Main Results:

• Overall 12-month mortality was 41.2%.
• Patients with pre-operative cardiac abnormalities had a significantly higher 12-month mortality (60%, p=0.028).
• Mortality showed a linear correlation with increasing age; surgical timing did not significantly influence mortality.

Conclusions:

• Pre-operative cardiac abnormalities are a significant risk factor for mortality in hip fracture patients.
• Elderly hip fracture patients require careful pre-operative evaluation and stabilization, especially those with cardiac conditions.
• Further research into optimizing peri-operative care for high-risk hip fracture patients is warranted.