Is delayed time to surgery associated with increased postoperative complications in patients with pathologic humerus fractures?

INTRODUCTION

Delayed time to surgery, in the case of orthopedic trauma, is well known to be associated with higher morbidity and mortality, an extended duration of hospitalization, and an associated rise in overall cost. Delayed time to surgery of at least 3 days following hospital admission is associated with elevated risk of complications following surgery for a standard, non-pathologic, humeral shaft fracture. To our knowledge, it is unknown whether the same association is present for pathologic humerus fractures. The primary objective of this study was to identify risk factors, including patient characteristics, comorbidities, and postoperative complications, that are associated with delayed time to surgery following pathologic humeral fracture.

METHODS

All patients undergoing surgical management of pathologic humerus fractures across a 6-year period from 2015 to 2021 were queried using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database. Postoperative complications were reported within 30 days of procedure. Delayed time to surgery was defined by ≥ 2 days from hospital admission to surgery. We identified a total of 248 patients, and 39.9% (n = 99) of patients had delayed time to surgery. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for all significantly associated variables was employed to identify predictors of delayed time to surgery for pathologic humerus fractures.

RESULTS

The characteristics of patients significantly associated with delayed time to surgery were ASA classification ≥ 3 (p = 0.016), dependent functional status (p = 0.041), and congestive heart failure (p = 0.008). After adjusting for all significantly associated patient variables, the characteristics of patients independently associated with delayed time to surgery were non-home discharge (OR: 2.93, 95% CI 1.53-5.63; p = 0.001) and extended length of stay (OR: 2.00, 95% CI 1.06-3.77; p = 0.033).

CONCLUSION

Delayed time to surgery of at least 2 days was independently associated with non-home discharge and extended postoperative length of stay. After controlling for baseline patient characteristics and comorbidities, delayed time to surgery was not independently associated with increased 30-day complications after surgical treatment of pathologic humeral fractures. This is in contrast to standard, non-pathologic humerus fractures in which delayed time to surgery is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

Retrospective Cohort Comparison; Prognosis Study.