The effect of time-to-surgery on outcome in elderly patients with proximal femoral fractures

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 171
• Main Authors: Smektala, Rüdiger, Endres, Heinz G, Dasch, Burkhard, Maier, Christoph, Trampisch, Hans J, Bonnaire, Felix, Pientka, Ludger
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 29.12.2008; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Demographic aspects; Emergency Medical Services - standards; Emergency Medical Services - statistics & numerical data; Female; Femoral Neck Fractures - mortality; Femoral Neck Fractures - surgery; Femur - injuries; Femur - pathology; Femur - surgery; Fracture fixation; Fracture Fixation - adverse effects; Fracture Fixation - standards; Fracture Fixation - statistics & numerical data; Fractures; Hip joint; Humans; Internal Fixators - adverse effects; Internal Fixators - statistics & numerical data; Male; Outcome and process assessment (Health Care); Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - methods; Patient outcomes; Postoperative Complications - mortality; Postoperative Hemorrhage - mortality; Prospective Studies; Prostheses and Implants - adverse effects; Prostheses and Implants - statistics & numerical data; Quality of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Quality of Health Care - trends; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Germany

Whether reducing time-to-surgery for elderly patients suffering from hip fracture results in better outcomes remains subject to controversial debates. As part of a prospective observational study conducted between January 2002 and September 2003 on hip-fracture patients from 268 acute-care hospitals...