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.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute, New York, NY 10003, USA.
K J
KJ
Koval
K D
KD
Friend
G B
GB
Aharonoff
J D
JD
Zukerman
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