A comparison of internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty in the management of un- or minimally displaced hip fractures in patients over 60 years old

Background: The incidence of hip fractures in the elderly is increasing. Minimally displaced and undis-placed hip fractures can be treated with either internal fixation or hemiarthroplasty. Objectives: To identify the revision rate of internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty in patients 60 years or older with Garden I or II hip fractures and to identify risk factors associated with each method. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted from 2 Major Trauma Centres and 9 Trauma Units be-tween 01/01/2015 and 31/12/2020. Patients managed conservatively, treated with a total hip replacement and missing data were excluded from the study. Results: 1273 patients were included of which 26.2% (n = 334) had cannulated hip fixation (CHF), 19.4% (n = 247) had a dynamic hip screw (DHS) and 54.7% (n = 692) had a hemiarthroplasty. 66 patients in to -tal (5.2%) required revision surgery. The revision rates for CHF, DHS and hemiarthroplasty were 14.4%, 4%, 1.2% (p < 0.001) respectively. Failed fixation was the most common reason for revision with the incidence increasing by 7-fold in the CHF group [45.8% (n = 23) vs. 33.3% (n = 3) in DHS; p < 0.01]. The risk factors identified for CHF revision were age > 80 (p < 0.05), female gender (p < 0.05) and smoking (p < 0.05). The average length of hospital stay was decreased when using CHF compared to DHS and hemiarthroplasty (12.6 days vs 14.9 days vs 18.1 days respectively, p < 0.001) and the 1 year mortality rate for CHF, DHS and hemiarthroplasty was 2.5%, 2% and 9% respectively. Conclusions: Fixation methods for Garden I and II hip fractures in elderly patients are associated with a higher revision rate than hemiarthroplasty. CHF has the highest revision rate at 14.4% followed by DHS and hemiarthroplasty. Female patients, patients over the age of 80 and patients with poor bone quality are considered high risk for fixation failure with CHF. Hemiarthroplasty is a suitable alternative with lowest revision rates. When considering an internal fixation method, DHS is more robust than a screw construct. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study retrospectively analyzed the revision rates of internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with Garden I or II hip fractures, as well as identified risk factors associated with each method. The results showed that the revision rate of internal fixation was 14.4%, while hemiarthroplasty had the lowest revision rate. Age over 80, female gender, and smoking were identified as high-risk factors for fixation failure. Therefore, hemiarthroplasty is a preferable alternative.