Autopsy-verified major pulmonary embolism after hip fracture.

This retrospective study included 1812 hip-fracture patients 40 years of age or older who did not receive prophylactic anticoagulation. Two hundred seventy-three patients (15.1%) died within 90 days after hospitalization. In 180 autopsies, 27 cases of major pulmonary embolism (PE), defined as occluding at least one lobar or several segmental arteries, were found. Based on an autopsy frequency of 72%, a rate of 1.4% major PEs during the first 30 days could be estimated. No major PE was found among patients with femoral neck fractures treated conservatively or by internal fixation or among patients younger than 66 years of age.