A Community-Based Hip Fracture Registry: Population, Methods, and Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Hip fractures are a significant health concern in older adults, often leading to high morbidity and mortality.
• Understanding treatment patterns and outcomes is crucial for improving patient care and reducing healthcare burdens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the characteristics of hip fracture patients and their surgical treatments.
• To report on the 90-day readmission and mortality rates following hip fracture surgery.
• To analyze the association between surgeon/facility volume and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 12,562 hip fracture cases from the Kaiser Permanente Hip Fracture Registry (2009-2011).
• Data collected included patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical procedures, surgeon, and facility information.
• Outcomes assessed were 90-day readmission and mortality rates.

Main Results:

• The study population (N=12,562) was predominantly older (≥75 years), female, and white, with 32% having ≥5 comorbidities.
• Hemiarthroplasty was the most frequent procedure (33.1%).
• The 90-day readmission rate was 22.1%, and the 90-day mortality rate was 12.3%.

Conclusions:

• Hip fractures in this cohort were associated with substantial 90-day readmission and mortality rates.
• Treatment involved common procedures like hemiarthroplasty, often performed by medium-volume surgeons in high-volume facilities.
• Further research may explore strategies to mitigate these adverse outcomes in elderly hip fracture patients.