Comparison of Complications and Length of Hospital Stay Between Orthopedic and Orthogeriatric Treatment in Elderly Patients With a Hip Fracture

Hip fractures in the elderly individuals are a complex problem. Our objective was to determine whether orthogeriatric treatment is effective in terms of reducing length of hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality of elderly patients with a hip fracture compared with orthopedic (traditional) treatment. From July 2009 to May 2011, patients older than 65 years with a hip fracture were followed prospectively. They were co-treated by geriatric and orthopedic teams. This cohort was compared with a retrospective cohort followed from January 2007 to June 2009 that was managed by the orthopedic surgery team only. Epidemiology, pre- and postoperative hematocrit, and renal function were registered. Also, in-hospital and distant mortality data (determined by consulting the national registry), mortality-associated factors, postoperative complications, hospital stay length, and transfers to other services were registered. One hundred and eighty-three patients in the retrospective group and 92 in the prospective group were included in this study with a median follow-up of 26 months (interquartile range: 13-41). The average age was 84 years and 74% of patients were female. Intertrochanteric fracture accounted for 51% of the cases. There was no difference between groups with regard to hospital stay length, hematocrit at discharge, in-hospital mortality, long-term survival, or transfers to internal medicine or the intensive care unit. It did show differences in the transfer to the intermediate care unit, prolonged hospitalizations (>20 days), and diagnosis of delirium and anemia requiring transfusion. In the present study, orthogeriatric treatment is slightly more effective than traditional treatment in terms of morbidity, but there is no difference in hospital stay length or mortality. Further studies and longer follow-up are needed to draw more conclusions.