Medical Complications and Outcomes After Hip Fracture Repair

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Abstract
HIP FRACTURES are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in elders, with more than 225 000 hip fractures occurring annually in the United States in patients older than 50 years.1,2 Internists are frequently asked to help with preoperative risk assessment and perioperative medical management. Effective risk management requires an understanding of the full clinical picture of postoperative medical complications, but most research on perioperative risk has focused on cardiac complications. Recent evidence suggests that pulmonary complications may be as clinically important, and, other than venous thromboembolism, we know little about the full spectrum and outcomes of medical complications after hip fracture repair.3-5 Previous studies are small, methodologically flawed, or assess only a few complications.6-53 We therefore analyzed a large cohort of 8930 patients having hip fracture repair to (1) specifically compare the incidence and outcomes of pulmonary and cardiac complications and (2) describe the incidence and outcomes of other postoperative medical complications.