The Impact of Surgical Timing of Hip Fracture on Mortality: Do the Cause and Duration of Delay Matter?
Jaiben George, Vijay Sharma, Kamran Farooque, Samarth Mittal, Vivek Trikha, Rajesh Malhotra
Abstract
Purpose: Delay in performance of hip fracture surgery can be caused by medical and/or administrative reasons. Although early surgery is recommended, it is unclear what constitutes a delayed surgery and whether the impact of delayed surgery can differ depending on the reason for the delay. Materials and Methods: A total of 269 consecutive hip fracture patients over 50 years of age who underwent surgery were prospectively enrolled. They were divided into two groups: early and delayed (time from reaching the hospital to surgery less than or more than 48 hours). Patients were also categorized as fit or unfit based on anesthetic fitness. One-year mortality was recorded, and regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of delay on mortality. Results: =0.035). Conclusion: The effect of delay on mortality was predominantly observed in patients who were not considered medically fit, suggesting that surgical delays might have a greater impact on patients with medical reasons for delay.