One Hundred Twenty-Day Mortality Rates for Hip Fracture Patients with COVID-19 Infection

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Infectious Diseases
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Hip fractures are associated with increased mortality, particularly in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).
• Evaluating mortality beyond 30 days is crucial due to potential nosocomial spread and variable COVID-19 incubation periods.
• This study investigates 120-day mortality in hip fracture patients with and without COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess 120-day mortality rates in hip fracture patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
• To compare mortality rates between hip fracture patients with and without COVID-19 during the same period.
• To identify factors influencing mortality in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective multicenter review of hip fracture patients (≥ 60 years) admitted between March 5 and April 5, 2020.
• Data collected included COVID-19 status, demographics, comorbidities, and mortality dates.
• Nine U.K. trauma units participated in the data collection.

Main Results:

• Of 265 patients, 46 (17.4%) had COVID-19. No significant differences in age or comorbidity scores were noted.
• COVID-19 patients showed higher 30-day (35% vs. 10%) and 120-day (63% vs. 17%) mortality (p < 0.01).
• Increased 120-day mortality was observed in men, women, and surgically treated patients with COVID-19.

Conclusions:

• Hip fracture patients with COVID-19 face significantly elevated 30-day and 120-day mortality.
• The findings underscore the critical need for measures to prevent nosocomial severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in hip fracture patients.
• Nearly half of patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 more than 14 days post-admission, indicating a risk of hospital-acquired infection.