Treatment of Femoral Neck Fracture Depends on Surgeon Subspecialty Training

Femoral neck fractures pose a notable health challenge globally, with a projected rise in cases due to aging populations. While treatment protocols are established, the effect of surgeon training on treatment decisions, particularly trauma versus arthroplasty fellowship training, remains less clear.

This study, using data from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System in New York State, examined 26,761 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Among 951 treating surgeons, 20.6% had no subspecialty fellowship training while 4.6% had training in multiple subspecialties, with arthroplasty (232 surgeons, 24.4%), sports (230 surgeons, 24.2%), and trauma (93 surgeons, 9.8%) being the most common.

Analysis revealed notable differences in surgical treatments based on subspecialty, with trauma surgeons favoring fixation and arthroplasty surgeons favoring total hip arthroplasty (THA). Even after adjusting for covariates, patients treated by arthroplasty-trained surgeons were more likely to receive THA. In addition, there was consistency between trauma and arthroplasty surgeons in treating lower functional demand patients with hemiarthroplasty. While trauma surgeons performed more fixations and arthroplasty surgeons more THAs, baseline characteristics and perioperative outcomes between fixation and THA patients were similar, indicating comparable baseline health despite treatment differences. Multivariable logistic regression confirmed that treatment by an arthroplasty surgeon markedly increased the odds of receiving THA.

This study underscores the complexity added by surgeon subspecialty in femoral neck fracture management and emphasizes the importance of recognizing how surgeon-specific factors influence treatment decisions. Understanding these nuances can inform training optimization and promote collaborative approaches within the orthopaedic community, ultimately contributing to enhanced patient outcomes as femoral neck fracture management evolves.