Cervical hip fractures treated with internal fixation: are operative delay and old age risk factors?

Abstract

A study of 456 cervical hip fractures (352 in women and 104 in men) treated with internal fixation with a dynamic hip screw or 3 parallel screws was performed to evaluate the relationship between surgical delay and 3 months mortality rate, fracture healing and risk of wound infection. The duration of the interval between admissiol1 and operation was 26 hours for patients operated with dynamic a hip screw and 33 hours for patients operated with 3 parallel screws. This series seems to suggest that surgical delay did not have a detrimental effect on the 3 months mortality rate, fracture healing and wound infection. However, old age was associated with increased 3 months mortality, risk of wound infection but not fracture healing.