In-Hospital Adverse Events in Older Patients with Hip Fracture: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

The main objective of this study was to measure the incidence of in-hospital adverse events in older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with an isolated traumatic hip fracture. The secondary objective was to identify the risk factors of adverse outcomes in those patients.

Retrospective database analysis.

Adults aged ≥65 years presenting to 1 of the 3 Quebec level 1 adult trauma centers' ED between 2003 and 2017 with an isolated hip fracture.

The main outcome was a composite of any adverse events defined as extended length of stay (LOS) >21 days, in-hospital complications (delirium, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, deep venous thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism), and mortality. Outcomes were also analyzed separately. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors associated with adverse events.

We included 4569 patients (female: 74.8%; mean age: 83.7 years). Low energy mechanisms were the most frequent cause of injury (68.4%), and the median LOS was 13 days (interquartile range, 8-21). A total of 1829 patients (40.0%) suffered an in-hospital adverse event: extended LOS (n = 1106; 24.2%), death (n = 365, 8.0%), and ≥1 complications (n = 892, 19.5%). Risk factors of any in-hospital adverse event included aged ≥75 years [75-84 years: adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 1.44; 95% CI, 1.17-1.76; ≥85 years: AOR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.72-2.58], male sex (AOR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.17-1.56), cardiovascular disease (AOR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.23-1.77), major cognitive disorder (AOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.26-1.80), and ≥2 comorbidities (AOR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.02-1.93). Direct admission from ED to the operating room was associated with decreased risk of any adverse event (AOR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-0.99).

Two out of five patients presenting to a level-1 trauma center with an isolated hip fracture suffered from an adverse event. Aged ≥75 years, male sex, cardiovascular diseases, major cognitive disorder, and ≥2 comorbidities were significant risk factors. These factors may guide early identification of high-risk patients in the ED.