Factors associated with postoperative acute kidney injury after hip fractures in elderly patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a rare but serious complication after hip fractures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and the risk factors of postoperative AKI after hip fractures.

From January 2011 to December 2016, 550 patients who underwent surgery of hip fractures at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. AKI was defined and classified by AKI Network (AKIN) Classification/Staging System. The incidence, mortality, and risk factors of postoperative AKI were investigated. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the ability of markers in predicting AKI.

The incidence of postoperative AKI was 4.4% (25 cases). The mean onset of postoperative AKI was 8.0 ± 5.3 days and recovered after 7.0 ± 4.2 days after the occurrence of AKI. Of 25 patients with AKI, 6 patients (24.0%) died within 1 year after surgery. The independent risk factors for postoperative AKI are the estimated blood loss (EBL) (odds ratio (OR) 1.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33-2.58; p < 0.01) and postoperative level of albumin (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.52-2.74; p < 0.01). The cutoff value of the serum albumin was <2.8 g/dL with a sensitivity of 88.0% and a specificity of 77.1%. The cutoff value of EBL was <766.5 mL with a sensitivity of 84.0% and a specificity of 66.3%.

Postoperative AKI after hip fractures had low incidences (4.4%) but high mortality (24.0%). The postoperative AKI was correlated with blood loss and low postoperative albumin levels.