Abstract
Introduction
Mortality rates following hip fracture are high. There are several scoring systems which aim to predict morbidity and mortality in hospital in-patients. The Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) was devised to predict 30 day mortality following hip fracture. Methods: All patients with hip fractures admitted over a 6 month period were reviewed. The NHFS was calculated for each patient and any associations between patient factors, NHFS, and outcome were investigated.
Results
160 patients were admitted during the study period. 148 patients were followed up for an average of 8.5 months. 9.5% patients died within 30 days. The mean NHFS was 4.6. NHFS showed a significant correlation with overall mortality and positive association with both 30 day mortality and length of stay. Delay to operation was not associated with increased mortality, but increasing age was positively correlated to 30 day mortality.
Conclusions
The 30 day mortality rate following hip fracture in our unit compares well to published targets. The NHFS appears to be valid in the local population and, by identifying patients at risk on admission, may be useful in reducing mortality and predicting length of stay. There is no evidence from this data that delay to operation increases mortality.
