1000 collared cementless femoral stems: periprosthetic fracture rates in 500 THA versus 500 hemiarthroplasties.

INTRODUCTION

This study investigates the claim that the majority of elderly patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) that would routinely be treated with a collared cementless stem are just one fall away from a neck of femur fracture that would then commit them to a cemented femoral prosthesis in many other institutions. This study aims to compare the incidence of intra-operative periprosthetic fracture (PPF) and early postoperative PPF using a cementless collared femoral stem between 500 consecutive elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients and 500 consecutive neck of femur (NOF) fracture patients treated with a hemiarthroplasty.

METHODS

This was a single-institution retrospective cohort study between August 2015 and December 2023 assessing 500 consecutive NOF fractures and 500 consecutive elective THAs treated with a single brand of collared cementless femoral stem. The primary outcome measure was intra-operative PPF. Secondary outcome measures included early PPF, defined as PPF within 90 days of initial surgery and 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

The mean age in the THA group was 66 (range 32-94) with 246/500 (49.2%) patients being female. In the NOF group, the mean age was 80 (range 45-102) with 350/500 (70%) of patients being female. In the THA group, seven (1.4%) of patients sustained an intra-operative fracture compared with 15 (3%) patients in the NOF group (p = 0.09). There were three (0.6%) early PPFs in the elective group compared to four (0.8%) in the NOF group (p = 0.7). The 90-day mortality was zero in the elective group and 8.8% in the NOF group. None of the NOF patients with an intra-operative fracture died at the time of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Collared cementless femoral stems are safe for use in hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture, especially in an institution that performs cementless HA as standard practice for all hip fractures requiring hemiarthroplasty.