Does Early Surgical Fixation of Proximal Femoral Fractures in Elderly Patients Affect Mortality Rates?

Objective To analyze whether a reduction in the waiting time for orthopedic surgery in elderly patients with fracture of the proximal end of the femur leads to a reduction in in-hospital mortality, 6-month mortality, and duration of hospitalization. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study including 81 patients with intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures who underwent surgical repair between 2015 and 2016 in a referral hospital, before and after a protocol for early surgical fixation (< 48 hours) was implemented. Results The mean length of hospital stay decreased from 17 to 11 days. Regarding the in-hospital mortality rate, five patients died before, and another five died after the protocol was implemented. The 6-month postoperative mortality decreased from 26.7% to 19.4%. The results showed no statistical significance. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that there is a tendency to reduce the length of hospital stay and 6-month mortality when the surgery for the treatment of proximal femoral fractures in the elderly is performed within 48 hours of hospitalization.