Comorbidities Increase Hip Surgery Complication Risk

Parkinson's disease (PD), osteoarthritis, mental health disorders, and other issues increase the risk of complications following hip fracture surgery, according to a new study.

Researchers at Kuopio University Hospital (Finland), the University of Eastern Finland (UEF; Viestintä, Finland), and other institutions conducted a study involving 68,800 hip fracture patients registered in the Finnish Performance, Effectiveness and Cost of Treatment (PERFECT) database in order to explore the prevalence of and the factors contributing to post-operative surgical complications that resulted in hospital readmission. Surgical complications included bone fractures, hemorrhages, infections, and implant issues occurring within three months of index surgery.

The results revealed that readmission within three months of hip fracture surgery occurred at a rate of 4.6% of all patients, and in 10% of total hip replacement patients. Increased occurrence of readmission was found among patients with heavy alcoholism, PD, pre-existing osteoarthritis, and rheumatic disease. In addition, a fracture of the femur neck, depression or presence of a psychotic disorder, an operative delay of at least three days, or previous treatment with total hip arthroplasty also increased readmission risk. The study was published on November 16, 2108, in Injury.

“For a hip fracture patient, a total hip replacement results in an excellent functional outcome. However, there are surprisingly many complications associated with its use,” said senior author Professor Heikki Kröger, MD, of the University of Eastern Finland. “It seems that careful selection of patients is required when treating their hip fracture with a total hip replacement.”

The worldwide annual average hip fracture incidence varies between 150 and 250 fractures per 100,000 population. Hip fracture patients can suffer from a host of medical and surgical complications, including deep wound infections, fixation failures, and dislocations of hip arthroplasty, all of which often lead to additional surgical interventions. It is therefore important to find ways to avoid these complications so as to lessen the burden on the healthcare system and patients.

Related Links:
Kuopio University Hospital
University of Eastern Finland