Mortality Rates After Nonoperative Geriatric Hip Fracture Treatment: A Matched Cohort Analysis

Objective: To compare the mortality rate between geriatric patients with hip fracture treated nonoperatively and a matched cohort treated operatively. Design: Retrospective Observational Matched Cohort Study. Setting: Academic Level 1 Trauma Center. Patients: Geriatric patients who sustained femoral neck and intertrochanteric/peritrochanteric fractures, excluding isolated greater trochanteric fractures. All patients older than 65 years with hip fractures over a 10-year period were identified. Operative patients were matched at a 2:1 ratio, when possible, to nonoperative patients based on Charlson Comorbidity Index and American Society of Anesthesiologists score. Intervention: Nonoperative treatment or operative treatment (femoral neck fractures: cannulated screw fixation or hemiarthroplasty; intertrochanteric/peritrochanteric fractures: sliding hip screw or cephalomedullary nail fixation; or proximal femoral locking plate). Main Outcomes: Mortality calculated at 30 and 90 days, and 1-year after injury. Mortality was compared between groups using logistic regression while controlling for age, CVA/TIA, and dementia. Results: Seven hundred seventy-two patients (171 nonoperative and 601 operative) were initially identified. After applying the matching algorithm, 128 nonoperative and 239 operative patients were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, or American Society of Anesthesiologists score between the cohorts. Nonoperative patients had a significantly higher 1-year mortality rate than operative patients [46.1% vs. 18.0%, Odds Ratio (95% confidence interval): 3.85 (2.34–6.41), P < 0.001]. Conclusions: Geriatric patients with hip fracture treated nonoperatively had a 1-year mortality rate of 46.1%, more than double the rate among operative patients. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.