Managing perioperative risk in the hip fracture patient

Patients with hip fracture benefit from a multidisciplinary team approach for preoperative and postoperative care. Team members, consisting of the orthopedic surgeon, internal medicine consultant, and anesthesiologist, should each have a role in determining a patient's readiness for surgery and communicate with one another about appropriate management. How urgently a hip fracture needs repair depends on the type of injury. In general, most injuries should be repaired as soon as the patient can be medically optimized (preferably 24 to 48 hours), keeping in mind that procedures are often lengthy and maximally invasive, and frequently involve complications. Nondisplaced (impacted) femoral neck fractures, however, should be repaired within 6 hours if possible to avert avascular necrosis of the femoral head and the need for total hip replacement. The following interventions are helpful for preventing complications following hip fracture repair: perioperative prophylaxis against infection.