Introduction Intermediate and long-term results following extracapsular fracture neck of femur have been evaluated in the past. However the precise effect of the type and the stability of the fracture on the early outcome is not known. This study evaluates the correlations between type and stability of the fracture, length of stay and predictors of early functional outcome.

Methods Ninety-five consecutive cases admitted with intertrochanteric fractures were reviewed retrospectively. Eight patients died during the hospital stay and were excluded from the study. Revision surgery for implant failure was excluded from the study. The medical records were reviewed to determine the pre-operative functional status and the outcome. Radiographs were reviewed by one of the authors to classify the fracture according to AO and Tronzo classification. Statistical analysis was performed using bivariate analysis and multistep logistic regression analysis.

Results The factors influencing the post-operative length of stay most were age and AO classification. The factors influencing post-operative mobility were pre-operative mobility, accommodation and presence of complications. The factors predicting post-operative accommodation were pre-injury accommodation and mobility. The mean difference in the pre and post-operative mobility grade was 1.9. The mean difference in the pre and postoperative accommodation grade was 1.31.

Conclusions One of the reasons for classification is to predict the prognosis. Our study showed that age and AO classification can predict length of stay in hospital. This can be used to pre-empt the discharge strategy.

A retrospective study of 44 diabetic patients who, between them, had 62 Charnley low-friction arthroplasties, showed a superficial-infection rate of 9.7 per cent and a deep-infection rate of 5.6 per cent. All the operations were carried out in the Charnley clear-air enclosure and prophylactic antibiotics were not used. A statistically significant increase in the overall rate of infection was found in diabetic patients when compared with non-diabetic osteoarthritic patients (P less than 0.001) and rheumatoid patients (P less than 0.01). Hence it is suggested that in diabetic patients there may well be a place for prophylactic antibiotics in hip replacement surgery in addition to the use of the clean-air enclosure.