Total Hip Arthroplasty Outperforms Hemiarthroplasty in Patients Aged 65 Years and Older: A Propensity-Matched Study of Short-Term Outcomes

INTRODUCTION: Displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly individuals may be treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) or hip hemiarthroplasty (HHA). However, it is unclear what the short-term medical outcomes are related to these surgical options. The purpose of this study was to compare early postoperative outcomes in THA patients to those of HHA patients. METHODS: In this study, we compared 30-day mortality, likelihood of still being in the hospital at 30 days, postoperative major and minor complications, discharge disposition, reoperation and readmission, length of stay, days from admission to surgery, and operative time between THA and HHA. Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database, hip fracture patients ≥65 years old from 2008 to 2016 were identified. After propensity score matching, there were 2795 THAs and 2795 HHAs. To assess the effect of THA on the above-mentioned outcomes, bivariate regression models were created. RESULTS: The THA patients ≥65 years old were at reduced risk for mortality (P = .029) and still being in the hospital at 30 days (P = .017). The THA patients were at an increased risk for minor complications (P = .011) and longer operative times (P < .001). However, THA patients were more likely to have a home discharge (P < .001). DISCUSSION: Patients ≥65 years who underwent THA for hip fractures had reduced short-term mortality risk, were more likely to be discharged home, and had less likelihood of being in the hospital at 30 days. This is the first study to explore short-term outcomes in patients ≥65 and has direct implications for alternate payment and merit-based payment models. CONCLUSION: As hip fracture treatment has come under scrutiny with respect to alternate payment models and merit-based incentive payments, this analysis of short-term outcomes warrants consideration when evaluating treatment pathways.