The impact of Covid-19 in proximal femur fractures. An observational study for the analysis of mortality rate

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Fractures of the proximal femur in the elderly are probably the leading cause of death in the orthopedic patients. Furthermore, after the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the mortality rate in the elderly has certainly increased. The aim of our study is to evaluate whether the mortality following proximal femur fractures is affected by the concomitant pandemic. METHODS: We admitted to our study patients over 65 years old, who presented to our Emergency Room with a diagnosis of proximal femur fracture in the first quarter of the years 2019, the period before the development of the pandemic, of 2020 during the pandemic and of 2021 with the new wave of Covid-19. 2022 was not taken into consideration because the mortality data are not yet available and to have at least one year follow-up after surgery. All patients were divided by fracture’s type and treatment; the time elapsed from trauma to surgery and from trauma to discharge was also evaluated. For each deceased patient, we considered the time elapsed from the operation to death and whether there was an episode of positivity to Covid-19 following the trauma and after discharge (all patients had a negative swab at the time of admission). CONCLUSIONS: Fractures of the proximal femur in the elderly patient are undoubtedly an important cause leading to the death. The spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed our department to reduce the gap between trauma and intervention time and from trauma to discharge which is undoubtedly a positive prognostic factor. However, the concurrence of a positivity from the virus does not seem to influence the mortality times following the fracture. (www.actabiomedica.it)