title: Oropharyngeal dysphagia in an elderly post-operative hip fracture population: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  normal ageing processes impact on oropharyngeal swallowing function placing older adults at risk of developing oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). Anecdotal clinical experience has observed that older patients recovering from hip fracture surgery commonly develop OD post-operatively.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to document the presence of OD following hip fracture surgery, and the factors associated with OD.
  
  
  METHODS
  one hundred and eighty-one patients with a mean age of 83 years (range: 65-103) admitted to a specialised orthogeriatric unit were assessed for OD post-surgery for hip fracture. Pre-admission, intra-operative and post-operative factors were examined to determine their relationship with the presence of OD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OD was found to be present post-operatively in 34% (n = 61) of the current population. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed the presence of pre-existing neurological and respiratory medical co-morbidities, presence of post-operative delirium, age and living in a residential aged care facility prior to hospital admission to be associated with the post-operative OD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  these results highlight that OD is present in a large number of the older hip fracture population. Early identification of OD has important implications for the provision of timely dysphagia management that may prevent secondary complications and potentially reduce the hospital length of stay.
authors.affiliation: Speech Pathology, The Prince Charles Hospital, Rode Road Chermside, Brisbane, Queensland 4032, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda Louise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: Petrea Lee
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Cornwell
authors.forename: Sarah Lilian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003679:Deglutition; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003693:Delirium / Q000453:epidemiology; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: dysphagia; elderly; hip fracture; incidence; older people; prediction