Proceedings of the Swedish Orthopedic Society

The Swedish Orthopaedic Society held its meeting on September 10-12,1986, in Östersund, which is situated on a large lake in central Sweden. This year, Ostersund celebrated its bicentennial; but more than 1,000 years ago the Vikings had a center here to worship their gods, as well as a fortress on the neighboring island of Frösö. Today, Östersund is the gateway to Sweden's most popular winter recreational area. Östersund has a single hospital that serves 135,000 inhabitants living in a 50,000 square kilometer catchment area. Finally, the meeting gathered 220 Swedish orthopedic surgeons. The Östersund Orthopedic Clinic, headed by Helge Semb, has, apart from the treatment of ski injuries, become renowned for its rheumatoid surgery. The latter topic was manifested by the invited speaker Professor Norbert Gschwend, Zurich, Switzerland, whose talk was titled “Surgery in rheumatoid arthritis,” and which was followed by papers on the subject. In addition, a special symposium entitled “Orthopedics - does it give cost benefit?” was held, and is reflected in the abstracts printed here. Further, the symposium included a debate in which the panel also consisted of health care administrators and politicians under the moderation of Erland Lysell, President of the Swedish Orthopedic Society. Other topics and contributions of this well-organized meeting are evident from the abstracts below. Finally, three greatly appreciated video tapes on orthopedic emergency care were presented by Jan Sandegård, Östersund

Sex effects on short-term complications after hip fracture : a prospective cohort study

Objectives: To evaluate potential sex differences and other factors associated with complications within 4 months after a hip fracture. Methods: A total of 1,915 patients. 65 years (480 men) with hip fracture were consecutively included in a prospective multicenter cohort study. A review of medical records and patient interviews according to a study protocol based on the Standardized Audit of Hip Fractures in Europe (SAHFE, RIKSHOFT) was performed. Sex differences in comorbidity according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists score and complications 4 months after a hip fracture were registered. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to complications. Results: Male sex was associated with worse general health according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (P=0.005) and with more comorbidities (P<0.001). Male sex emerged as a risk factor for developing pneumonia (P<0.001), and additionally, 18% of the men suffered from cardiac complications compared with 13% of the females (P=0.018). Female sex was predisposed for urinary tract infections, 30% vs 23% in males (P=0.001). Mortality was higher in the male vs female group, both within 30 days (15% vs 10%, P=0.001) and at 4 months (24% vs 14%, P=0.001). Conditions associated with pneumonia were male sex, pulmonary disease, and cognitive impairment. Cardiac complications were associated with delayed surgery and cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. Conclusion: Before surgery, men with hip fracture already have a poorer health status and higher comorbidity rate than women, thus resulting in a twofold increased risk of pneumonia. Cognitive dysfunction and pulmonary disease contributed to pneumonia in men. Delayed surgery seems to increase the risk for cardiac complications. It is important to consider the sex perspective early on together with cardiopulmonary comorbidity and cognitive dysfunction to be able to counteract serious complications that may lead to death

Long-term cost and effect on quality of life of osteoporosis-related fractures in Sweden

Background and purpose Few economic or quality-of-life studies have investigated the long-term consequences of fragility fractures. This prospective observational data collection study assessed the cost and quality of life related to hip, vertebral, and wrist fracture 13-18 months after the fracture, based on 684 patients surviving 18 months after fracture. Patients and methods Data regarding resource use and quality of life related to fractures was collected using questionnaires at 7 research centers in Sweden. Information was collected using patient records, register sources, and by asking the patient. Quality of life was estimated using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Direct and indirect costs were estimated from a societal standpoint. Results The mean fracture-related cost 13-18 months after a hip, vertebral, or wrist fracture were estimated to be (sic)2,422, (sic)3,628, and (sic)316, respectively. Between 12 and 18 months after hip, vertebral, and wrist fracture, utility increased by 0.03, 0.05, and 0.02, respectively. Compared to prefracture levels, the mean loss in quality of life between 13 and 18 months after fracture was estimated to be 0.05, 0.11, and 0.005 for hip, vertebral, and wrist fracture. Interpretation The sample of vertebral fracture patients was fairly small and included a high proportion of fractures leading to hospitalization, but the results indicate higher long-term costs and greater loss in quality of life related to vertebral fracture than previously believed

Using national hip fracture registries and audit databases to develop an international perspective

Hip fracture is the commonest reason for older people to need emergency anaesthesia and surgery, and leads to prolonged dependence for many of those who survive. People with this injury are usually identified very early in their hospital care, so hip fracture is an ideal marker condition with which to audit the care offered to older people by health services around the world. We have reviewed the reports of eight national audit programmes, to examine the approach used in each, and highlight differences in case mix, management and outcomes in different countries. The national audits provide a consistent picture of typical patients - an average age of 80 years, with less than a third being men, and a third of all patients having cognitive impairment - but there was surprising variation in the type of fracture, of operation and of anaesthesia and hospital length of stay in different countries. These national audits provide a unique opportunity to compare how health care systems of different countries are responding to the same clinical challenge. This review will encourage the development and reporting of a standardised dataset to support international collaboration in healthcare audit.</div