Fractures' associated mortality risk in orthogeriatric inpatients: a prospective 2-year survey

Purpose!#!The most common osteoporotic fragility fractures are hip, vertebral and upper extremity fractures. An association with increased mortality is widely described with their occurrence. Fracture-specific associated death rates were determined in a 2-year follow-up for patients treated on an orthogeriatric ward. These were compared amongst each other, examined for changes with age and their impact on the relative mortality risk in relation to the corresponding population.!##!Methods!#!We assessed all patients that were treated in the course of a year on an orthogeriatric ward and suffered from the following injuries: hip (HF), vertebral (VF) and upper extremity fractures (UEF). In a 2-year follow-up it was possible to determine the month of death in the case of the patient's decease. Pairwise comparisons of the three fracture type death rates were performed through Cox-Regression. We stratified the fracture-dependent absolute mortality and age-specific mortality risk (ASMR) for age groups 71-80, 81-90 and 91-95.!##!Results!#!Overall, we assessed 240 patients with HF, 96 with VF and 127 with UEF over the span of a year. 1- and 2-year-mortality was: HF: 29.6% a.e. 42.9%, VF: 29.2% a.e. 36.5%, UEF: 20.5% a.e 34.6%. Pairwise comparisons of these mortality values revealed no significant differences. In association with HF and VF, we observed a significant increase of 2-year mortality for the oldest compared to the youngest patients (HF: 60.4% vs. 22.5%; p = 0.028) (VF 70% vs. 14.3%; p = 0.033). The analogue comparison for UEF revealed no relevant difference in age-dependent mortality (40.9% vs. 31.1%; p = 0.784). Common for all fracture types ASMR's were more elevated in the younger patients and decreased with higher age.!##!Conclusion!#!The fracture-related mortality in the 2-year follow-up was comparable. We observed a reduction of relative mortality risk in the oldest patients. While a direct influence of fracture on mortality must be supposed, we support the thesis of the fracture rather being an indicator of higher susceptibility of timely death

The Role of a Primary Arthroplasty in the Treatment of Proximal Tibia Fractures in Orthogeriatric Patients

The total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the gold standard for patients with an advanced symptomatic gonarthrosis. However, there are very few publications dealing with the primary TKA for patients with a proximal tibia fracture. In our retrospective study we evaluated 30 patients treated with a TKA for a proximal tibia fracture in our institution between 01/2008 and 12/2014. We collected the following statistical data from each patient: age, classification of the fracture (AO-classification), type of prosthesis used, length of the operation and hospitalization, and complications during the follow-up. We used the Knee Society Score (KSS) and the WOMAC score to evaluate the function. The Knee Society Score showed an average “general knee score” (KSS1) of 81.1 points and an average “functional knee score” (KSS2) of 74.5 points. The average WOMAC score was 78.6 points. Immediate postoperative mobilization with the possibility of a full-weight bearing is of crucial importance for the geriatric patients to maintain the mobility they had prior to the operation and reduce medical complications. Because of these advantages, the primary TKA seems to be a promising alternative to the ORIF of a proximal tibia fracture in the orthogeriatric patient

The role of a primary arthroplasty in the treatment of proximal tibia fractures in orthogeriatric patients

The total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the gold standard for patients with an advanced symptomatic gonarthrosis. However, there are very few publications dealing with the primary TKA for patients with a proximal tibia fracture. In our retrospective study we evaluated 30 patients treated with a TKA for a proximal tibia fracture in our institution between 01/2008 and 12/2014. We collected the following statistical data from each patient: age, classification of the fracture (AO-classification), type of prosthesis used, length of the operation and hospitalization, and complications during the follow-up. We used the Knee Society Score (KSS) and the WOMAC score to evaluate the function. The Knee Society Score showed an average “general knee score” (KSS1) of 81.1 points and an average “functional knee score” (KSS2) of 74.5 points. The average WOMAC score was 78.6 points. Immediate postoperative mobilization with the possibility of a full-weight bearing is of crucial importance for the geriatric patients to maintain the mobility they had prior to the operation and reduce medical complications. Because of these advantages, the primary TKA seems to be a promising alternative to the ORIF of a proximal tibia fracture in the orthogeriatric patient

Early surgery? In-house mortality after proximal femoral fractures does not increase for surgery up to 48 h after admission

Purpose The economic cost linked to the increasing number of proximal femur fracture and their postoperative care is immense. Mortality rates are high. As early surgery is propagated to lower mortality and reduce complication rates, a 24-h target for surgery is requested. It was our aim to determine the cut-off for the time to surgery from admission and therefore establish a threshold at which the in-house mortality rate changes. Methods A retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted including 1796 patients with an average age of 82.03 years treated operatively for a proximal femoral fracture between January 2016 and June 2020. A single treatment protocol was performed based on the type of anticoagulant, surgery, and renal function. Patient data, surgical procedure, time to surgery, complications, and mortality were assessed. Results In-house mortality rate was 3.95%, and the overall complication rate was 22.7%. A prolonged length of hospital stay was linked to patient age and occurrence of complications. Mortality is influenced by age, number of comorbidities BMI, and postoperative complications of which the most relevant is pneumonia. The mean time to surgery for the entire cohort was 26.4 h. The investigation showed no significant difference in mortality rate among the two groups treated within 24 h and 24 to 48 h while comparing all patients treated within 48 h and after 48 h revealed a significant difference in mortality. Conclusions Age and number of comorbidities significantly influence mortality rates. Time to surgery is not the main factor influencing outcome after proximal femur fractures, and mortality rates do not differ for surgery up to 48 h after admission. Our data suggest that a 24-h target is not necessary, and the first 48 h may be used for optimizing preoperative patient status if necessary

Beyond hip fractures: other fragility fractures' associated mortality, functional and economic importance: a 2-year-Follow-up

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures are well researched in orthogeriatric literature. Equivalent investigations for fragility-associated periprosthetic and periosteosynthetic femoral, ankle joint, pelvic ring, and rib fractures are still rare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mortality, functional outcome, and socioeconomic parameters associated to the upper-mentioned fragility fractures prospectively in a 2-year follow-up. METHODS: Over the course of a year, all periprosthetic and periosteosynthetic femoral fractures (PPFF), ankle joint fractures (AJ), pelvic ring fractures (PR), and rib fractures (RF), that were treated on a co-managed orthogeriatric ward, were assessed. Parker Mobility Score (PMS), Barthel Index (BI), place of residence, and care level were recorded. After 2 years, patients and/or relatives were contacted by mailed questionnaires or phone calls in order to calculate mortality and reevaluate the mentioned parameters. RESULTS: Follow-up rate was 77.7%, assessing 87 patients overall. The relative mortality risk was significantly increased for PR (2.9 (95% CI: 1.5–5.4)) and PPFF (3.5 (95% CI: 1.2–5.8)) but not for RF (1.5 (95% CI: 0.4–2.6)) and AJ (2.0 (95% CI: 0.0–4.0)). Every fracture group except AJ showed significantly higher BI on average at follow-up. PMS was, respectively, reduced on average for PR and RF insignificantly, but significantly for PPFF and AJ in comparison to pre-hospital values. 10.0–27.3% (each group) of patients had to leave their homes permanently; care levels were raised in 30.0–61.5% of cases. DISCUSSION: This investigation provides a perspective for further larger examinations. PR and PPFF correlate with significant increased mortality risk. Patients suffering from PPFF, PR, and RF were able to significantly recover in their activities of daily living. AJ and PPFF conclude in significant reduction of PMS after 2 years. CONCLUSION: Any fragility fracture has its impact on mortality, function, and socioeconomic aspects and shall not be underestimated. Despite some fractures not being the most common, they are still present in daily practice

Improved outcome in hip fracture patients in the aging population following co-managed care compared to conventional surgical treatment: a retrospective, dual-center cohort study

Background: Hip fracture patients in the aging population frequently present with various comorbidities, whilst preservation of independency and activities of daily living can be challenging. Thus, an interdisciplinary orthogeriatric treatment of these patients has recognized a growing acceptance in the last years. As there is still limited data on the impact of this approach, the present study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcome in elderly hip fracture patients, by comparing the treatment of a hospital with integrated orthogeriatric care (OGC) with a conventional trauma care (CTC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective, two-center, cohort study. In two maximum care hospitals all patients presenting with a hip fracture at the age of ≥ 70 years were consecutively assigned within a 1 year period and underwent follow-up examination 12 months after surgery. Patients treated in hospital site A were treated with an interdisciplinary orthogeriatric approach (co-managed care), patients treated in hospital B underwent conventional trauma care. Main outcome parameters were 1 year mortality, readmission rate, requirement of care (RC) and personal activities of daily living (ADL). Results: A total of 436 patients were included (219 with OGC / 217 with CTC). The mean age was 83.55 (66-99) years for OGC and 83.50 (70-103) years for CTC (76.7 and 75.6% of the patients respectively were female). One year mortality rates were 22.8% (OGC) and 28.1% (CTC; p = 0.029), readmission rates were 25.7% for OGC compared to 39.7% for CTC (p = 0.014). Inconsistent data were found for activities of daily living. After 1 year, 7.8% (OGC) and 13.8% (CTC) of the patients were lost to follow-up. Conclusions: Interdisciplinary orthogeriatric management revealed encouraging impact on the long-term outcome of hip fracture patients in the aging population. The observed reduction of mortality, requirements of care and readmission rates to hospital clearly support the health-economic impact of an interdisciplinary orthogeriatric care on specialized wards

Orthogeriatric co-management: differences in outcome between major and minor fractures

PURPOSE: Literature shows that orthogeriatric co-management improves the outcomes of patients with hip fractures. Corresponding research with more diverse fragility fracture groups is lacking. Therefore, an examination was performed prospectively as a 2 year-follow-up on an orthogeriatric co-managed ward, comparing relevant outcome parameters for major and minor fragility fractures. METHODS: All patients treated on an orthogeriatric co-managed ward from February 2014 to January 2015 were included and their injuries, orthogeriatric parameters such as the Barthel Index (BI), Parker Mobility Score (PMS) and place of residence (POR). Patients were separated into two groups of either immobilizing major (MaF) or non-immobilizing minor (MiF) fractures. 2 years later, a follow-up was conducted via telephone calls and questionnaires mailed to patients and/or their relatives. RESULTS: 740 (574 major vs. 166 minor injuries) patients were initially assessed, with a follow-up rate of 78.9%. The in-house, 1-year, and 2-year-mortality rates were 2.7, 27.4, and 39.2%, respectively. Mortality was significantly higher for MaF in the short term, but not after 2 years. On average, during the observation period, patients regained their BI by 36.7 points (95% CI: 33.80–39.63) and PMS was reduced by 1.4 points (95% CI: 1.16–1.68). No significant differences were found in the readmission rate, change in BI, PMS or POR between the MaF and MiF groups. CONCLUSION: The relevance of orthogeriatric treatment to improving functional and socioeconomic outcomes was confirmed. The similarity of the results from both fracture groups emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach also for minor fractures. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00068-022-01974-3