Abstract
Aim: To ascertain whether there is a relationship between time to surgery and mortality in hip fracture patients.
Method: The records of 120 patients admitted with hip fractures were examined. The approximate time of injury, the time of admission to hospital, the time of surgery, the number of medical co-morbidities, the A.S.A. grade, age, and length of hospital stay, were recorded. Death statistics were obtained from the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages. An analysis was then performed to assess the presence of correlation between time from injury to surgery, time from admission to surgery and three and six-month mortality in patients who were A.S.A. grades two or three.
Results: Preliminary analysis of the data showed a strong correlation between time from injury and the time from admission, to surgery and subsequent death. When these times exceeded 24 hours the mortality increased.
Conclusion: This study suggested that every effort should be made to operate on patients with hip fractures within 24 hours of admission to minimise mortality resulting from this injury.
The abstracts were prepared by Professor Alan Thurston. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association, PO Box 7451, Wellington, New Zealand.
