Weight bearing after hip fracture: a prospective series of 596 geriatric hip fracture patients.
Five hundred ninety-six patients age > or = 65 with femoral neck or intertrochanteric fractures were allowed immediate unrestricted weight bearing after surgery and were prospectively followed. Follow-up data and hospital records were examined to identify those patients who required additional hip surgery owing to failure of fixation, nonunion, osteonecrosis, or prosthetic dislocation. Four hundred seventy-three patients were available for 1-year minimum follow-up; 16 patients (3.4%) required additional hip surgery. The revision surgery rate after intertrochanteric fracture due to loss of fixation was 2.9%. The revision surgery rate after internal fixation of the femoral neck from loss of fixation/nonunion was 5.3%; the revision rate from osteonecrosis for patients with 2-year follow-up was 5.4%. The revision rate after hemiarthroplasty due to prosthetic dislocation was 0.6%. These results support the use of unrestricted weight bearing in elderly patients after hip fracture surgery.
Koval
K J
KJ
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Friend
K D
KD
Aharonoff
G B
GB
Zukerman
J D
JD
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000601:surgery; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000601:surgery; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012086:Reoperation; D016474:Weight-Bearing