Frequency and impact of active clinical issues and new impairments on hospital discharge in patients with hip fracture.

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Abstract
HIP FRACTURES are common, costly, and clinically serious. Approximately 350 000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States, accounting for nearly $6 billion per year in hospital costs.1 Most patients who fracture their hips are elderly and frail and are at high risk for death, medical complications, and loss of function.2-4 Because most patients often have numerous underlying comorbid illnesses, the risk of developing cardiopulmonary, thromboembolic, infectious, urologic, and neurologic complications is substantial.5