title: CORRELATION BETWEEN TIME UNTIL SURGICAL TREATMENT AND MORTALITY AMONG ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH FRACTURES AT THE PROXIMAL END OF THE FEMUR.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary aim of this study was to analyze the possible association between delay in receiving surgical treatment and mortality among elderly patients with fractures at the proximal end of the femur.
  
  
  METHODS
  269 patients with fractures at the proximal end of the femur (femur neck and intertrochanteric fractures) who were treated surgically at Hospital São Paulo, UNIFESP, São Paulo, between January 2003 and December 2007, were studied. The following attributes were analyzed and compared with the literature relating to this subject: sex, age, type of fracture, classification of the fracture, affected side, synthesis used, trauma mechanism, length of hospitalization, waiting time for surgery, associated comorbidities, hemogram on admission, type of anesthesia, need for blood transfusion, day of the week and season of the year of the fracture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that higher mortality correlated with higher numbers of clinical comorbidities, longer hospitalization and use of general anesthesia during the surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no association between the time spent waiting for surgery and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Junior Resident of the Sports Traumatology Center (CETE) - Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Gustavo Gonçalves
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Arliani
authors.affiliation: Junior Resident of the Sports Traumatology Center (CETE) - Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: da Costa Astur
authors.affiliation: Resident Doctor of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Glauber Kazuo
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Linhares
authors.affiliation: Assistant Doctor and Master of the Discipline of Traumatology of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balbachevsky
authors.affiliation: Affiliate Professor and Head of the Trauma Sector of the Traumatology Discipline of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Hélio Jorge Alvachian
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Livre-Docente Professor of the Traumatology Discipline of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/EPM.
authors.forename: Fernando Baldy
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Dos Reis
keywords: Femoral Fractures; Mortality; Retrospective Studies