Collaborative Orthopaedic Research Network. The provision of total hip replacement for displaced intracapsular hip fractures

Comparison of acute outcomes from elective total hip replacements and after fragility femoral neck fractures in nonagenarians

BACKGROUND

Hip hemiarthroplasty has traditionally been used to treat displaced femoral neck fractures in older, frailer patients whilst total hip replacements (THR) have been reserved for younger and fitter patients. However, not all elderly patients are frail, and some may be able to tolerate and benefit from an acute THR. Nonagenarians are a particularly heterogenous subpopulation of the elderly, with varying degrees of independence. Since THRs are performed electively as a routine treatment for osteoarthritis in the elderly, its safety is well established in the older patient. The aim of this study was to compare the safety of emergency THR to elective THR in nonagenarians.

METHODS

A retrospective 10-year cohort study was conducted using data submitted to the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) across three hospitals in one large NHS Trust. Data was collected from 126 nonagenarians who underwent THRs between 1st January 2010 - 31st December 2020 and was categorised into emergency THR and elective THR groups. Mortality rates were compared between the two groups. Secondary outcomes were also compared including postoperative complications (dislocations, revision surgeries, and periprosthetic fracture), length of stay in hospital, and discharge destination.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups, with 1-year mortality rates of 11.4% and 12.1% reported for emergency and elective patients respectively (p = 0.848). There were no significant differences in postoperative complication rate and discharge destination. Patients who had emergency THR spent 5.56 days longer in hospital compared to elective patients (p = 0.015).

CONCLUSION

There is no increased risk of 1-year mortality in emergency THR compared to elective THR, in a nonagenarian population. Therefore, nonagenarians presenting with a hip fracture who would have been considered for a THR if presenting on an elective basis should not be precluded from an emergency THR on safety grounds.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not necessary as this was deemed not to be clinical research, and was considered to be a service evaluation.

Neck of femur fracture: who gets a total hip replacement? A review of 230 eligible patients

PURPOSE

To investigate patient-specific factors that predict Total Hip Replacement (THR) in patients with fracture neck of femur (NOF), fulfilling the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria.

METHODS

Hip fracture database from a district general hospital and university hospital was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients fulfilling NICE criteria for THR after fracture NOF. Patient demographics, Nottingham Hip Fracture score (NHFS), complications, re-operations, revision, 30 days and one-year mortality was obtained from patient-records. Independent predictors correlating with the outcome of surgery were identified. A logistic regression analysis was used to predict the type of surgery in these patients.

RESULTS

A total of 230 (114 WMH and 116 MH) were identified; 133 (57.8 per-cent) received hip hemiarthroplasty (HA), and 97 (42.2 per-cent) received THR. Patients receiving THR (mean 73.5 years, 95% CI 72-74.8) were significantly younger in comparison to patients receiving HA (mean 81.7 years, 95% CI 80.5-82.8). A negative correlation is noted between NHFS and type of surgery (Pearson's correlation - 0.537, p < 0.01), implying higher NHFS decreased the likelihood of receiving THR. Regression analysis showed NHFS (p-0.001) and walking ability (p-0.001) as significant predictors for the type of surgery (Nagelkerke R2-0.472). A log-rank test showed higher estimated survival time in patients with THR in comparison to HA (p-value 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

NHFS and walking ability can be used as an adjunct to the NICE criteria for selecting patients for THR after fracture NOF. Carefully selected patients treated with THR survive longer and have a better outcome in comparison to HA.

Variations in Treatment Delivery for Patients with Neovascular AMD in the UK: Results from an Ophthalmology Trainee Clinical Research Network Study

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to determine treatment delivery patterns for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) across the UK through an ophthalmology trainee research network delivered observational study.

METHODS

Data were collected via an online tool by potential research collaborators identified by the Ophthalmology Trainee Clinical Trial Network (OCTN). Collaborators were asked to comment on periprocedural practices of treatment of nAMD in their eye unit including treatment location and injectors, clinical assessment and routine observation in patients undergoing intravitreal treatment.

RESULTS

Data were available from 26 units around the United Kingdom. Survey methodology refinement was approximately 3 months, and the average response time was 4.9 ± 2.4 days. The majority of responders confirmed that treatment was undertaken as a "one-stop" service (n = 15, 58%), delivered in a clean room (n = 23, 88%). In the majority of units, doctors administered injections (n = 24, 92%), but significant treatment was also given by nurse injectors (n = 21, 81%). All collaborators reported that patients underwent visual acuity testing and optical coherence tomography imaging at all visits, but other imaging including fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) did not take place in all cases (n = 17, 65%) and only at baseline visit.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate the feasibility of conducting ophthalmology trainee led and delivered observational studies. Our results show that FFA is not routinely used in the diagnosis of nAMD in the units sampled; most injections are carried out in a clean room, and ophthalmic nurses delivering injections is a highly prevalent model of care in the UK.