AIMS

The aim of this study was to analyze the risk of mortality and other postoperative complications following restricted weightbearing in geriatric patients who undergo fixation of a hip fracture, while accurately controlling for patient frailty.

METHODS

The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database January 2016 to December 2020 was queried for operatively treated hip fractures in patients aged ≥ 60 years using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes (n = 53,959). Logistic regressions and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were conducted to determine the frailty measure which best predicts 30-day mortality among American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (ASA), five-factor modified Fraility Index (mFI-5), and Risk Analysis Index Recalibrated Version (RAI-Rev). The effect of weightbearing on 30-day mortality, and severe (SAE) and minor (MAE) adverse events, was assessed using logistic regressions while controlling for the selected frailty measure and other relevant patient characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 53,959 patients met the inclusion criteria, and 36,177 patients (67%) were weightbearing as tolerated postoperatively. Under ROC curve, the only discriminatory performance was by RAI-Rev in 30-day mortality. Controlling for RAI-Rev, age, sex, BMI, functional status, and CPT, weightbearing patients had a 42% lower odds of 30-day mortality (p < 0.001), a 31% lower odds of a SAE (p < 0.001), and a 24% lower odds of a MAE (p < 0.001) in comparison to non-weightbearing patients.

CONCLUSION

Geriatric hip fractures are prevalent in patients with varying degrees of health. RAI-Rev is a better predictor of postoperative mortality than ASA grade and mFI-5, and should be used in evaluating the risk of geriatric hip fractures. Postoperative weightbearing is associated with significant reductions in complications for geriatric hip fracture patients, even while controlling for frailty. Our findings suggest that postoperative weightbearing after surgical fixation of geriatric hip fractures should be encouraged for able patients.