Impact of preoperative analytical values on post-operative mortality rate of intertrochanteric fractures

Intertrochanteric fractures incidence has been increasing over the past few years and therefore so have all the problems associated with it. It is important to search for possible ways to reduce comorbidities as well as postoperative mortality. We decided to assess the impact of some routine pre-operative analytical values on post-operative mortality of patients with inter-trochanteric fractures 65 years or older.

From all intertrochanteric fracture admissions between January 2007 and May 2012, 160 patients were included in this study. The variables studied were age, gender, length of hospital stay, and analytical data such as hemoglobin, total leucocyte count, platelets, urea, creatinin and plasma sodium. Follow-up data on mortality were obtained from the civil registry and, considering 6 months as the cut-off point, patients were divided into 2 groups based on their survival. Mann-Whitney and Chi square statistics were used to study the association between our variables and patients survival.

Our population showed a median age of 82 years old and a majority of women (79.4%). Within the first 6 months after surgery, 27 patients of the initial 160 (16.1%) died. Mortality was associated with low hemoglobin, high platelets, high creatinin and low plasma sodium.

Postoperative mortality of hip surgery is high. Our findings could be used to reduce this rate by correcting some analytical values preoperatively.