Association between admission hyperglycemia and postoperative pneumonia in geriatric patients with hip fractures

Admission hyperglycemia is a common phenomenon in the early stages of injury. This study aimed to determine the relationship between admission hyperglycemia and postoperative pneumonia in geriatric patients with hip fractures.

A total of 600 geriatric patients admitted to Dandong Central Hospital with hip fractures were included. Patients were divided into four groups based on quartiles of admission blood glucose levels: Q1- Q4. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score-matched analyses were conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postoperative pneumonia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cut-off value of admission hyperglycemia for predicting postoperative pneumonia.

The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was significantly higher among hyperglycemic patients than those with normal glucose levels (OR = 2.090, 95% CI: 1.135-3.846, p = 0.016). Admission hyperglycemia showed moderate predictive power, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.803. Furthermore, propensity score-matched analyses demonstrated that patients in the Q3 (OR = 4.250, 95% CI: 1.361-13.272, p = 0.013) and Q4 (OR = 4.667, 95% CI: 1.251-17.405, p = 0.022) quartiles had a significantly higher risk of postoperative pneumonia compared to patients in the Q1 quartile.

Admission hyperglycemia in elderly hip fracture patients increases the risk of postoperative pneumonia. This biomarker can aid clinical assessment and perioperative management.