Hemiprosthesis for Femoral Neck Fractures in the Elderly: A Retrospective Study of 319 Patients

Background: In geriatric patients with Pauwels types II and III femoral neck fractures, hemiprosthesis is the therapy of choice. Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the results after cemented hemiprosthesis placement, the first year after surgery. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 319 patients over 70 years with displaced femoral neck fractures treated surgically at our hospital from 2007 to 2012. All medical information was available including retrospective posthospital discharge records as well as inpatient course and one-year mortality. Results: From a total of 319 patients, 78% (n = 249) were female and 22% (n = 70) were male, with the mean age of 83.6 years. Seventeen percent of the patients suffered from heart failure, 23% from diabetes, and 19% from renal insufficiency. Time to surgery averaged one day postinjury. Average operative time skin-to-skin was 50 minutes. Seventy-three percent of the patients could mobilize independently on discharge. Of the remaining patients, 2/3 had already lost independent mobilization prior to the fracture. Hospital mortality averaged 5% (national average in Germany: 8%), and 30-day and 90-day mortality rates were 5% and 15%, respectively. Within one year, 22% of the patients died (national average: 27%). Also, 14 patients were re-admitted, for contralateral prosthetic implantation (n = 7) or revision after the periprosthetic fracture (n = 5). Fifty-three percent of the patients were admitted to hospital during the year for other diseases (national average: 54%). Conclusions: Hemiprosthesis placement for displaced femoral neck fractures is a common and safe procedure. Despite recent decreases in hospital mortality, the risk of death remains more than twice as high within one year than that for uninjured patients of the same age

The transformation of the political system of Ukraine: balancing on the edge of democracy and authoritarianism

24 серпня 1991 року Україна, одна з колишніх радянських республік, стала незалежною. Це був її перший крок на шляху до демократії і можливість творення своєї власної політичної системи. Незалежність дала Україні багато можливостей: встановлювати напрями зовнішньої політики, доступ до міжнародних організацій. Метою даної роботи є аналіз трансформації української політичної системи в контексті балансування на грамі демократії і авторитаризму.On August 24th, 1991 Ukraine, one of the former Soviet republics, gained independendence. It was the first step towards democracy and possible creation of it's own political system. Independence gave Ukraine many opportunities to set the directions of foreign policy, to cooperate with chosen states and access to international ogranizations. The aim of this work was to analyze transformation of the Ukrainian political system in the context of balancing per gram of democracy and authoritarianism.Робота виконана на кафедрі Східної Європи Університету Миколи Коперника в Торун