Predictive factors associated with mortality in Korean elderly patients with hip fractures

It is important to investigate the level of physical function impairment before fracture to predict mortality after hip fracture. This study aimed to examine the predictive factors associated with mortality depending on prefracture physical function impairment among Korean elderly patients.

We included 1841 patients aged 65 years and older with hip fractures using osteoporosis-related hip fracture network data from 15 university hospitals in South Korea. The collected data included sociodemographic, nutritional, disease-related, and fracture- and surgery-related factors. For the degree of prefracture physical function impairment, ambulatory ability was classified into community, household, and nonfunctional ambulators. Binominal logistic regression was used to identify the predictive factors for mortality.

Analysis showed that mortality rate at the first follow-up after hip fracture was 4.9%, and most patients (77.7%) were community ambulators before fracture. Sociodemographic (older age, male sex), nutritional (low body mass index, low albumin level before surgery), and fracture- and surgery-related (nonsurgical management, complications after surgery) factors significantly predicted mortality, depending on the prefracture ambulatory status.

This study emphasizes that nutritional assessment and management as interdisciplinary interventions from hospitalization to follow-ups should be performed to lower malnutrition and mortality risk. Therapeutic management for comorbidities negatively affecting surgery outcomes should be prioritized to reduce postoperative complications and mortality. Surgical treatment should be encouraged if it aligns with the therapeutic goals, even in poor health status.