Preoperative hemoglobin levels and mortality outcomes after hip fracture patients

PURPOSE: Hip fracture surgery is associated with a risk of morbidity and mortality, with admission hemoglobin levels being a significant predictor of mortality risk. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) levels and mortality in patients who underwent hip fracture surgeries, with the goal of enhancing prognosis prediction and reducing complications within this patient subset. In addition, to assess the characteristics of patients at a higher risk of postoperative mortality. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at Jordan University Hospital, a single tertiary care and educational center. It included patients with hip fractures who underwent surgical repair at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and were recruited between December 2019 and February 2022. We examined the relationships between preoperative hemoglobin status and variables such as age at admission, gender, fracture type, surgery type, comorbidities, duration of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and survival outcomes. RESULTS: We included 626 patients; the mean age was 76.27 ± 9.57 years. 3-month and 6-month mortality rates were 11.2% and 14.1%, respectively. The highest mortality was observed in patients aged over 80 years (n = 53/245, 21.6%), and in male patients (n = 53/300, 17.7%). The Hb level upon admission was lower in individuals who died within 6 months compared to those who survived (10.97 ± 2.02 vs. 11.99 ± 2.39, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the independent factors that were statistically significant in the model included gender (OR = 1.867; 95% CI 1.122–3.107, p = 0.016), age (OR = 1.060; 95% CI 1.029–1.092; p < 0.001), hemoglobin level upon admission (OR = 0.827; 95% CI 0.721–0.949; p = 0.007), history of renal disease (OR = 1.958; 95% CI 1.014–3.784; p = 0.045), length of hospital stay (OR = 1.080; 95% CI 1.036–1.126; p < 0.001), and ICU admission (OR = 1.848; 95% CI 1.049–3.257; p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Our study illustrates that low hemoglobin levels, history of renal disease, along with male gender, advanced age, extended hospital stays, and ICU admission were significantly associated with 6-month mortality. Future investigations should consider assessing varying degrees of anemia based on hemoglobin concentrations to provide a more comprehensive understanding of anemia’s impact on mortality. MINI-ABSTRACT: This study investigated the relationship between preoperative hemoglobin levels, patient characteristics, and mortality in patients who underwent hip fracture surgeries. The results showed that lower hemoglobin levels, history of renal disease, male gender, advanced age, extended hospital stays, and ICU admission were significant predictors for mortality. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12893-023-02174-5.