Urinary continence changes after hip-fracture repair

Hip fractures can adversely affect an older adult's functional well-being. Little is known about the changes in continence status after hip-fracture repair. To investigate postoperative complications, the authors reviewed a convenience sample of 100 medical records of adults ages 55 years and over who were admitted to two metropolitan Baltimore hospitals for surgical repair of a fractured hip. There were data regarding postoperative incontinence for 95 individuals. Prevalence of urinary incontinence significantly increased from the preoperative rate of 20% to 43% postoperatively. That is, 19 individuals were incontinent preoperatively, and 41 individuals were incontinent postoperatively. Two individuals who had been incontinent preoperatively became continent postoperatively. Men were more likely to become incontinent than women, as were cognitively impaired individuals compared to cognitively intact individuals.