The Positive Predictive Value of Hip Fracture Diagnoses and Surgical Procedure Codes in the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry and the Danish National Patient Registry

The "true" 1-year incidence of dislocation after primary total hip arthroplasty: validation of an algorithm identifying dislocations in the Danish National Patient Register based on 5,415 patients from the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Register

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Dislocations continue to be a serious complication after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). Our primary aim was to report the "true" incidence of dislocations in Denmark and secondarily to validate a previously developed algorithm designed to identify THA dislocations in the updated version of the Danish National Patient Register (DNPR), based on data from the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Register (DHR).

METHODS

We included 5,415 primary THAs from the DHR performed from July 1 to December 31, 2019. Version 3 of the DNPR was launched in February 2019, and a combination of data from the DNPR and a comprehensive national review of 1,762 hospital contacts enabled us to identify every dislocation occurring during the 1st year after THA to determine the "true" 1-year incidence of dislocation. The results were presented as proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and validation was performed by calculating sensitivity and predictive values.

RESULTS

The "true" 1-year incidence of dislocation was 2.8% (CI 2.4-3.3). Of these, 37% suffered recurrent dislocations during the follow-up period. Between-hospital variation ranged from 0.0% to 9.6%. The algorithm demonstrated a sensitivity close to 95%, while maintaining a positive predictive value of above 94%.

CONCLUSION

 The "true" 1-year incidence of dislocation of 2.8% is comparable to earlier findings, and large variation among hospitals continues to be evident. We have proven the algorithm to be valid in the latest DNPR (version 3), enabling it to be employed as a new quality indicator in future annual DHR reports.

Risk of fractures following bariatric surgery with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy: a Danish population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

We examined the association between Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and fracture risk, including major osteoporotic fractures (MOF), and the use of anti-osteoporosis medication (AOM). While RYGB is associated with impaired bone health and increased fracture risk, it remains uncertain whether SG has a similar impact and whether this risk is primarily due to MOF or any fracture.

DESIGN

We conducted a nationwide cohort study covering patients treated with RYGB (n = 16 121, 10.2-year follow-up) or SG (n = 1509, 3.7-year follow-up), from 2006 to 2018, comparing them with an age- and sex-matched cohort (n = 407 580).

METHODS

We computed incidence rates and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs, using Cox regression for any fracture, MOF, and use of AOM with adjustment for comorbidities.

RESULTS

Compared with the general population cohort, RYGB was associated with an increased risk of any fracture (HR 1.56 [95% CI, 1.48-1.64]) and MOF (HR 1.49 [1.35-1.64]). Sleeve gastrectomy was associated with an increased risk of any fracture (HR 1.38 [1.13-1.68]), while the HR of MOF was 1.43 (0.97-2.12). The use of AOM was low but similar in all cohorts (approximately 1%).

CONCLUSIONS

Bariatric surgery increased the risk of any fracture and MOF to similar extend. Risks were similar for RYGB and SG. However, SG had a shorter follow-up than RYGB, and the cohort size was rather small. More research is needed for long-term SG fracture risk assessment. The use of AOM was low in all cohorts.

Impact of diabetes on the risk of subsequent fractures in 92,600 patients with an incident hip fracture: A Danish nationwide cohort study 2004-2018

PURPOSE

We investigated the incidence rates of a subsequent hip fracture (HF) and other subsequent fractures than HF after first incident HF, comparing patients with and without diabetes.

METHODS

Using Danish medical databases, we identified 92,600 incident HF patients in the period 2004-2018. Diabetes exposure was examined overall, by type of diabetes (T2D and T1D), and by presence of diabetes complications. We estimated cumulative incidence of subsequent HFs and fractures other than HF within two years of the incident HF. Using Cox regression, adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

RESULTS

Among incident HF patients, 11,469 (12 %) had diabetes, of whom 10,253 (89 %) had T2D and 1216 (11 %) had T1D. The 2-year incidence rates for a new subsequent HF were 4.8 % (95 % CI: 4.6-4.9) for patients without diabetes (reference group), 4.1 % (95 % CI: 3.8-4.6) for T2D, and 4.3 % (95 % CI: 3.3-5.6) for T1D. Corresponding aHRs were 1.01 (95 % CI 0.90-1.14) for T2D and 1.17 (95 % CI 0.87-1.58) for T1D. There was effect modification by sex, as women with T1D had an aHR of 1.52 (95 % CI: 1.09-2.11) for subsequent HF, and by specific diabetes complications (for example, patients with T2D and prior hypoglycemia had an aHR of 1.75 (95 % CI: 1.24-2.42) for subsequent HF, while patients with T1D and neuropathy had an aHR of 1.73 (95 %: 1.09-2.75), when compared with patients without diabetes). For fractures other than HF, the 2-year incidence rates were 7.3 % (95 % CI: 7.2-7.5) for patients without diabetes, 6.6 % (95 % CI: 6.1-7.1) for T2D, and 8.5 % (95 % CI: 7.0-10.1) for T1D, with corresponding aHRs of 1.01 (95 % CI 0.92-1.11) for T2D and 1.43 (95 % CI: 1.16-1.78) for T1D. T2D was only a risk factor for other subsequent fractures among HF patients of high age (age 86-89 years: aHR 1.22 (95 % CI 0.99-1.55), age 90+ years: aHR 1.37 (95 % CI 1.08-1.74)), whereas T1D was robustly associated with increased risk of fractures other than HF in all subgroups.

CONCLUSION

Among HF patients, we found no strong overall association of T2D or T1D with increased risk of subsequent HF, but diabetes patients with prior hypoglycemic events or neuropathy were at increased risk. In contrast, patients with T1D had a clearly increased risk of subsequent fractures other than HF.

Ten-year follow-up of fracture risk in a systematic population-based screening program: the risk-stratified osteoporosis strategy evaluation (ROSE) randomised trial

Background

Osteoporotic fractures pose a growing public health concern. Osteoporosis is underdiagnosed and undertreated, highlighting the necessity of systematic screening programs. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-step population-based osteoporotic screening program.

Methods

This ten-year follow-up of the Risk-stratified Osteoporosis Strategy Evaluation (ROSE) randomized trial tested the effectiveness of a screening program utilizing the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) for major osteoporotic fractures (MOF) to select women for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan following standard osteoporosis treatment. Women residing in the Region of Southern Denmark, aged 65-80, were randomised (single masked) into a screening or a control group by a computer program prior to inclusion and subsequently approached with a mailed questionnaire. Based on the questionnaire data, women in the screening group with a FRAX value ≥15% were invited for DXA scanning. The primary outcome was MOF derived from nationwide registers. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01388244, status: Completed.

Findings

All randomised women were included February 4, 2010-January 8, 2011, the same day as approached to participate. During follow-up, 7355 MOFs were observed. No differences in incidences of MOF were identified, comparing the 17,072 women in the screening group with the 17,157 controls in the intention-to-treat analysis (IRR 1.01, 0.95; 1.06). However, per-protocol, women DXA-scanned exhibited a 14% lower incidence of MOF (IRR 0.86, 0.78; 0.94) than controls with a FRAX value ≥15%. Similar trends were observed for hip fractures, all fractures, and mortality.

Interpretation

While the ROSE program had no overall effect on osteoporotic fracture incidence or mortality it showed a preventive effect for women at moderate to high risk who underwent DXA scans. Hence the overall effect might have been diluted by those who were not at an intervention level threshold risk or those who did not show up for DXA. Using self-administered questionnaires as screening tools may be inefficient for systematic screening due to the low and differential screening uptake.

Funding

INTERREG and the Region of Southern Denmark.

Validity of Major Osteoporotic Fracture Diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Registry

Objective

To evaluate the validity of diagnosis codes for Major Osteoporotic Fracture (MOF) in the Danish National Patient Registry (NPR) and secondly to evaluate whether the fracture was incident/acute using register-based definitions including date criteria and procedural codes.

Methods

We identified a random sample of 2400 records with a diagnosis code for a MOF in the NPR with dates in the year of 2018. Diagnoses were coded with the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The sample included 2375 unique fracture patients from the Region of Southern Denmark. Medical records were retrieved for the study population and reviewed by an algorithmic search function and medical doctors to verify the MOF diagnoses. Register-based definitions of incident/acute MOF was evaluated in NPR data by applying date criteria and procedural codes.

Results

The PPV for MOF diagnoses overall was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98;0.99) and PPV=0.99 for the four individual fracture sites, respectively. Further, analyses of incident/acute fractures applying date criteria, procedural codes and using patients' first contact in the NPR resulted in PPV=0.88 (95% CI: 0.84;0.91) for hip fractures, PPV=0.78 (95% CI: 0.74;0.83) for humerus fractures, PPV=0.78 (95% CI: 0.73;0.83) for clinical vertebral fractures and PPV=0.87 (95% CI: 0.83;0.90) for wrist fractures.

Conclusion

ICD-10 coded MOF diagnoses are valid in the NPR. Furthermore, a set of register-based criteria can be applied to qualify if the MOF fracture was incident/acute. Thus, the NPR is a valuable and reliable data source for epidemiological research on osteoporotic fractures.

Time trends in opioid use for patients undergoing hip fracture surgery in 1997-2018: A Danish population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Although opioids are a mainstay for perioperative pain management in hip fracture patients, no studies have described changes in opioid use over the last two decades. The aim of this study was to describe time trends in opioid use in a population-based cohort of patients undergoing a first-time hip fracture surgery during 1997-2018.

METHODS

Opioid-naïve hip fracture patients >55 years old were identified in Danish medical databases (n = 115,962). By 2-year calendar periods, we calculated prevalence rates (PR) of opioid use in the four quarters after surgery (Q1-Q4). Corresponding prevalence rate ratios (PRR) with 1997-1998 as a reference were estimated with 95% confidence intervals. Further, we calculated the median morphine milligram equivalents (MME) for each quarter.

RESULTS

For Q1, the PR of opioid use increased from 29% in 1997-1998 to 78% in 2017-2018 corresponding to a PRR of 2.7 (2.6-2.8). For Q4, the PR was 15% in 1997-1998, peaked in 2003-2004 and then decreased, but stayed high at 13% in 2017-2018. The median MME did not increase when comparing 2017-2018 with 1997-1998, irrespective of the quarter. Tramadol was most frequently used in 1997-1998 shifting to oxycodone in 2017-2018.

CONCLUSION

The PRs of opioid use in Q1 after surgery increased substantially from 1997 to 2018, but this did not translate into increased opioid use up to 1 year after hip fracture surgery or higher dosage. Our findings underline the importance of sustained focus on opioid tapering, dosage and use of opioids with the lowest potential for addiction and other adverse events.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Overall, opioid use in Q1 after hip fracture surgery increased 2.7 times from 1997 to 2018, but the doses and opioid use up to 1 year after surgery remained stable. Compared to elderly, younger patients were more likely to use opioid in Q1, while the tendency was opposite in Q2-Q4. The most used opioid type changed from tramadol to oxycodone. Our findings underline the importance of personalized opioid tapering and doses, and use of opioids with the lowest potential for addiction and other adverse events.

Any infection among patients with hip fracture: Predictive ability of Charlson, Elixhauser, Rx-Risk, and Nordic comorbidity indices

BACKGROUND

In studies on infection after hip fracture surgery, a common and serious complication, it remains unknown which comorbidity index is best for case-mix confounder adjustment. We evaluated the predictive ability of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Rx-Risk Index (Rx-Risk), and Nordic Multimorbidity Index (NMI) for any infection up to 1 year from discharge after hip fracture surgery.

METHODS

Using Danish medical registries, we included 92,600 patients (mean age 83 years) surgically treated for hip fracture between 2004 and 2018. Comorbidity-index scores were calculated using prevalence of diagnosis codes, prescription codes, or both. Lookback periods of 1, 5, and 10 years were applied. Logistic regression was used to calculate c-index to assess discrimination of comorbidity indices individually and in combination with a base model of age and sex. Outcome was any infection (not only surgical site infection) in-hospital and 1 year after discharge.

RESULTS

At 10-year lookback period, the c-index for individual comorbidity indices for in-hospital infections varied from 0.53 to 0.56, similar to base model alone (0.56). The predictive ability of comorbidity indices in combination with base model varied from 0.56 to 0.57. Within 1 year after discharge, NMI in combination with base model had best predictive ability for infection (c-index = 0.62), followed by CCI and ECI (c-index = 0.60) and Rx-Risk (c-index = 0.58). Discrimination was similar for all lookback periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidity indices have low predictive ability for any infection up to 1 year after hip fracture surgery, similar to that of age and sex alone. For case-mix adjustment, evaluated comorbidity indices are of equal value.

Excess mortality following a first and subsequent osteoporotic fracture: a Danish nationwide register-based cohort study on the mediating effects of comorbidities

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the risk of mortality following incident and subsequent osteoporotic fractures, the effect of different fracture type combinations, and the mediating role of postfracture morbidity in a Danish population.

METHODS

We used the National Patient Registry to identify patients ≥60 years with incident major osteoporotic fracture of the hip, vertebrae, wrist or humerus between 2013 and 2018, and controls matched 1:10 on age and sex. Possible mediators were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes registered in the 6 months following index fracture. HRs were estimated using Cox regression analyses with 95% CIs. The effect of possible mediators was estimated using mediation analyses.

RESULTS

The study included 106 303 patients and 1 062 988 controls. Mortality following index fracture was highest in the month following hip fractures (HR 10.98 (95% CI 10.23 to 11.79) in women and HR 16.40 (95% CI 15.00 to 17.93) in men). Subsequent hip fractures resulted in the highest HRs for all fracture type combinations. In women, the highest HR was observed in patients with index wrist/subsequent hip fractures (HR 2.43 (95% CI 2.12 to 2.78)). In men, the highest HR was observed in patients with index humerus/subsequent hip fractures (HR 2.69 (95% CI 2.04 to 3.54)). Pneumonia mediated the largest proportion of mortality, but dehydration, urinary tract infection and sepsis were also important factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The highest mortality risk was found in the month immediately following both index and subsequent fracture. The combination of index and subsequent fractures at different skeletal sites had a substantial impact on the risk of mortality. Postfracture morbidities were found mediate the association.

Fracture Risk in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa Over a 40-Year Period

Researchers have reported increased fracture risk in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), but more knowledge on the long-term risk and the effects of age, male sex, and time-related changes is still needed. We examined the long-term (up to 40 years) fracture risk among patients with AN compared to a matched comparison cohort from the general population. We utilized data from the Danish Health Care Registers to identify 14,414 patients with AN (13,474 females and 940 males) diagnosed between 1977 and 2018, with a median age of 18.6 years and median follow-up time of 9.65 years. We calculated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox regression analysis for overall and site-specific fracture risks. The overall aHR of any fracture was 1.46 [95% CI: 1.36 to 1.48], with an aHR of 1.50 [95% CI: 1.43 to 1.57] for females and 0.95 [95% CI: 0.82 to 1.1] for males. For specific fractures we found an association with femur fractures both in females 4.06 [95% CI: 3.39 to 4.46] and in males 2.79 [95% CI: 1.45 to 2.37] and for fractures of the spine (females 2.38 [95% CI: 2.00 to 2.84], males 2.31 [95% CI: 1.20 to 4.42]). The aHR of any fracture decreased from 1.66 [95% CI: 1.52 to 1.81] in the period from 1977 to 1997 to 1.40 [95% CI: 1.33 to 1.40] from 1998 to 2018. In conclusion, we found that AN was associated with a 46% increased risk of any fracture up to 40 years after diagnosis. We found no overall increased risk in males, but in both sexes we found a particularly high site-specific fracture risk in the spine and femur. Fracture risk decreased in recent decades, indicating that more patients with AN have been diagnosed with presumably less severe disease and that the earlier detection and intervention of AN in recent years may translate into a lower facture risk. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

An enhanced version of FREM (Fracture Risk Evaluation Model) using national administrative health data: analysis protocol for development and validation of a multivariable prediction model

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis poses a growing healthcare challenge owing to its rising prevalence and a significant treatment gap, as patients are widely underdiagnosed and consequently undertreated, leaving them at high risk of osteoporotic fracture. Several tools aim to improve case-finding in osteoporosis. One such tool is the Fracture Risk Evaluation Model (FREM), which in contrast to other tools focuses on imminent fracture risk and holds potential for automation as it relies solely on data that is routinely collected via the Danish healthcare registers. The present article is an analysis protocol for a prediction model that is to be used as a modified version of FREM, with the intention of improving the identification of subjects at high imminent risk of fracture by including pharmacological exposures and using more advanced statistical methods compared to the original FREM. Its main purposes are to document and motivate various aspects and choices of data management and statistical analyses.

METHODS

The model will be developed by employing logistic regression with grouped LASSO regularization as the primary statistical approach and gradient-boosted classification trees as a secondary statistical modality. Hyperparameter choices as well as computational considerations on these two approaches are investigated by an unsupervised data review (i.e., blinded to the outcome), which also investigates and handles multicollinarity among the included exposures. Further, we present an unsupervised review of the data and testing of analysis code with respect to speed and robustness on a remote analysis environment. The data review and code tests are used to adjust the analysis plans in a blinded manner, so as not to increase the risk of overfitting in the proposed methods.

DISCUSSION

This protocol specifies the planned tool development to ensure transparency in the modeling approach, hence improving the validity of the enhanced tool to be developed. Through an unsupervised data review, it is further documented that the planned statistical approaches are feasible and compatible with the data employed.

Comorbidity and risk of infection among patients with hip fracture: a Danish population-based cohort study

Impact of comorbidity on infection risk among hip fracture patients is unclear. We found high incidence of infection. Comorbidity was an important risk factor for infection up to 1 year after surgery. Results indicates a need for additional investment in pre- and postoperative programs that assist patients with high comorbidity.

PURPOSE

Comorbidity level and incidence of infection have increased among older patients with hip fracture. The impact of comorbidity on infection risk is unclear. We conducted a cohort study examining the absolute and relative risks of infection in relation to comorbidity level among hip fracture patients.

METHODS

Utilizing Danish population-based medical registries, we identified 92,600 patients aged ≥ 65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery between 2004 and 2018. Comorbidity was categorized by Charlson comorbidity index scores (CCI): none (CCI = 0), moderate (CCI = 1-2), or severe (CCI ≥ 3). Primary outcome was any hospital-treated infection. Secondary outcomes were hospital-treated pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, reoperation due to surgical-site infection (SSI), and a composite of any hospital- or community-treated infection. We calculated cumulative incidence and hazard ratios (aHRs) adjusted for age, sex, and surgery year, including 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Prevalence of moderate and severe comorbidity was 40% and 19%, respectively. Incidence of any hospital-treated infection increased with comorbidity level within 0-30 days (none 13% vs. severe 20%) and 0-365 days (none 22% vs. 37% severe). Patients with moderate and severe comorbidity, compared to no comorbidity, had aHRs of 1.3 (CI: 1.3-1.4) and 1.6 (CI: 1.5-1.7) within 0-30 days, and 1.4 (CI: 1.4-1.5) and 1.9 (CI: 1.9-2.0) within 0-365, respectively. Highest incidence was observed for any hospital- or community-treated infection (severe 72%) within 0-365 days. Highest aHR was observed for sepsis within 0-365 days (severe vs. none: 2.7 (CI: 2.4-2.9)).

CONCLUSION

Comorbidity is an important risk factor for infection up to 1 year after hip fracture surgery.

Completeness and validity of the Danish fracture database

OBJECTIVE

To calculate completeness of the Danish Fracture Database (DFDB) overall and stratified by hospital volume and to calculate the validity of independently assessed variables in the DFDB.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

In this completeness and validation study, cases registered in the DFDB with fracture-related surgery in 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. All cases had undergone fracture-related surgery at a Danish hospital reporting to the DFDB in 2016. The Danish health care system is fully tax-funded providing equal and free access to all residents. Completeness was calculated as sensitivity and validity was calculated as positive predictive values (PPVs).

RESULTS

OVERALL COMPLETENESS WAS 55.4% (95% CI: : 54.7-56.0). For small-volume hospitals it was 60% (95% CI: 58.9-61.1), and for large-volume hospitals, it was 52.9% (95% CI: 52.0-53.7). The PPV for variables of interest ranged from 81% to 100%. The PPV of key variables was 98% (95% CI: 95-98) for operated side, 98% (95% CI: 96-98) for date of surgery, and 98% (95% CI: 98-100) for surgery type.

CONCLUSION

We found low completeness of data reported to the DFDB in 2016; however, in the same period, the validity of data in the DFDB was high.

Association of anticholinergic drug use with postoperative mortality among patients with hip fracture. A nationwide cohort study

PURPOSE

Anticholinergic (AC) drugs are associated with various determinantal outcomes. Data regarding the effect of AC drugs on mortality among geriatric hip fracture patients are limited and inconsistent.

METHODS

Using Danish health registries, we identified 31,443 patients aged ≥65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery. AC burden was assessed 90 days before surgery by the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) score and number of AC drugs. Logistic and Cox regression producing odds ratios (OR) and hazard ratios (HR) for 30- and 365- day mortality, adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities were computed.

RESULTS

AC drugs were redeemed by 42% of patients. The 30-day mortality increased from 7% for patients with ACB score of 0 to 16% for patients with ACB score of ≥5, corresponding to an adjusted OR 2.5 (CI: 2.0-3.1). The equivalent adjusted HR for 365-mortality was 1.9 (CI: 1.6-2.1). Using count of AC drugs as exposure we found a stepwise increase in ORs and HRs with increased number of AC drugs; Compared to non-users, adjusted ORs for 30-days mortality were 1.6 (CI: 1.4-1.7), 1.9 (CI: 1.7-2.1), and 2.3 (CI: 1.9-2.7) for users of 1, 2 and 3+ AC drugs. HRs for 365-day mortality were 1.4 (CI: 1.3-1.5), 1.6 (CI: 1.5-1.7) and 1.8 (CI: 1.7-2.0).

CONCLUSION

Use of AC drugs was associated with increased 30-day and 365-day mortality among older adults with hip fracture. Simply counting the number of AC drugs may be a clinically relevant and easy AC risk assessment tool. Continued effort to reduce AC drug-use is relevant.

Are hip fracture patients with high or low body mass index at higher risk of missed care? A cohort study

AIM

To examine whether patients' body mass index is associated with missed hip fracture care consistent with national guideline-recommended care.

DESIGN

A nationwide, population-based cohort study using prospectively collected data from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 39,835 patients ≥65 years admitted with a hip fracture and discharged between 1st of January 2012 and 29th of November 2017. National guideline-recommended care consists of preoperative optimization, early surgery, mobilization within 24 h, basic mobility assessment, nutrition screening, post-discharge rehabilitation program, and osteoporotic and fall prophylaxis. We used binomial regression to estimate the relative risk for the fulfilment of the individual measures with 95% confidence interval. Multiple imputation method was applied to handle missing values of body mass index.

RESULTS

The overall fulfilment of the individual measures ranged from 43% for pre-operative optimization to 95% for receiving a post-discharge rehabilitation program. The obese patients had a lower fulfilment of surgery within 36 h compared to patients with normal weight. No differences in fulfilment of the other measures were found. However, patients with missing data on body mass index had the highest risk of missed care. In conclusion, patients with missing BMI values had the highest risk of missed care. The obese patients had a slightly higher risk of long waiting times for surgery than normal-weighted patients.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This study was done based on population-based data from medical registries and data was analysed by the authors only.

Impact of Stroke History on the Risk of Recurrent Hip Fracture or Major Osteoporotic Fractures among Patients with Incident Hip Fracture: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Considerable uncertainty prevails regarding risk factors for recurrent fracture among older patients with hip fracture. We aimed to investigate the relationship between prefracture stroke history, baseline mobility, and the risk of recurrent hip fracture. This cohort study was based on the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry, 2011-2018 (n = 48,230). We estimated cumulative incidence (competing risk of death) of recurrent hip fracture and major osteoporotic fractures within 1 and 2 years comparing patients with/without prefracture stroke history. Analyses were performed overall and stratified on baseline mobility status (good mobility: Cumulated Ambulation Score ≥ 5 versus poor mobility: Cumulated Ambulation Score < 5). Using Cox regression, adjusted cause-specific hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. The 1-year cumulative incidence was 4.6% (95% CI: 3.9-5.4) among patients with stroke history and 4.3% (95% CI: 4.1-4.5) among patients without stroke history. For patients with good mobility, the cumulative incidence of recurrent hip fracture was 5.8% (95% CI: 4.3-7.5) versus 3.7% (95% CI: 3.4-4.0) for patients with versus without stroke history. Corresponding numbers for patients with poor mobility were 4.4% (95% CI: 3.6-5.5) and 5.0% (95% CI: 4.7-5.3). Stroke history was associated with an adjusted HR of 1.55 (95% CI: 1.15-2.10) for recurrent fracture among patients with good mobility. In contrast, no association was observed among patients with poor mobility (adjusted HR 0.88 [95% CI: 0.70-1.10]). The associations were attenuated after 2 years of follow-up and for major osteoporotic fractures. In conclusion, stroke history was associated with slightly higher risk of recurrent fracture among patients with first-time hip fracture in the overall analysis, although the CI included a null result. The association was modified by baseline mobility: Patients with stroke history and good mobility had a markedly higher risk, whereas patients with stroke and poor mobility did not. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Reoperation for sliding hip screws vs cannulated cancellous screws in femoral neck fractures: A study from the Danish Fracture Database Collaborators

INTRODUCTION

It is still debated whether to use cannulated cancellous screw (CCS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) implants for femoral neck fracture (FNF) patients but there are no studies large enough to evaluate on smaller differences. The aim were to compare the reoperation and mortality rates of a large cohort of FNF patients above 60 years of age with internal fixation using CCS and SHS implants, with stratification by fracture classification.

METHODS

This register study employed prospectively collected data from 2014 to 2018 from the Danish Fracture Database, including 2-year follow-up and data on age, sex, surgery, comorbidity and fracture classification. Reoperation data was retrieved from the Danish National Patient Register. The primary outcome was major reoperation, defined as re-osteosynthesis, conversion to arthroplasty, non-union surgery, Girdlestone procedure or deep infection 1-year post-surgery. Relative risk (RR) for the CCS group compared with the SHS group was estimated using Cox proportional hazards modelling, adjusted for age, sex and comorbidity (including 95% confidence intervals).

RESULTS

A total of 2,598 FNFs were included, 1,731 with CCS (67%) and 867 with SHS (33%). The overall 1-year major reoperation rate was 15% with CCS and 13% with SHS, yielding an adjusted RR of 1.10 (0.88; 1.37) for CCS compared to SHS. The adjusted RR was 1.15 (0.77; 1.69) for undisplaced FNF, 1.09 (0.68; 1.75) for displaced FNF and 1.35 (0.94; 1.94) for transcervical FNF, which increased to 1.42 (1.01; 2.00) after 2 years. The minor reoperation rate was higher for CCS (3%) than SHS (1%), yielding an adjusted RR of 2.28 (1.14; 4.51). The adjusted RR for CCS compared to SHS was 0.83 (0.62; 1.12) for 30-day mortality and 0.96 (0.82; 1.14) for 1-year mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no difference between CCS and SHS in major reoperation rates; however, for transcervical FNF, CCS was associated with higher reoperation rates. Furthermore, CCS was associated with a higher risk of minor reoperation than SHS. There were no differences in mortality rates.

Risk of pacemaker implantation after femur fracture in patients with and without a history syncope: a Danish nationwide registry-based follow-up study

BACKGROUND

It has previously been described that fall-associated injuries including fractures are commonly observed among patients with bradyarrhythmia. However, knowledge on the risk of pacemaker implantation after admission due to femur fracture from large population-based epidemiologic data is lacking. Therefore, we investigated the risk of pacemaker implantation following femur fracture in patients with and without a history of previous syncope.

METHODS

All patients with femur fracture between 2005-2017 were identified using the Danish Nationwide Patient Registry. Among these, patients already having a pacemaker were excluded. Primary outcome was one-year risk of pacemaker implantation and secondary outcome was one-year all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to obtain absolute and relative risks of the study endpoint in relation to patients with versus without history of syncope and standardized to the age, sex, selected comorbidity and pharmacotherapy distribution of all patients.

RESULTS

Of 93,093 patients with femur fracture, 5508 (5.9%) had a history of syncope within five years. Patients with prior syncope were slightly older (84 vs. 83 years), more often male (33.6% vs. 29.4%), and had more often comorbidities relative to those without history of syncope. All-cause mortality was significantly higher among those with previous history of syncope compared to those without previous syncope (29.9% vs. 28.6%, P = 0.021). The relative mortality risk was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01-1.09, P = 0.021). A total of 695 (0.8%) patients underwent pacemaker implantation within 5 years following femur fracture, and a significantly higher proportion of patients with syncope had a pacemaker implanted within one year (1.6% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001; relative risk, 2.01 [95% CI: 1.55-2.46]).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with femur fracture, a history of syncope was significantly associated with a higher one-year risk of pacemaker implantation.

Corrigendum: Risk of reoperation due to surgical site infection in 74,771 hip fracture patients: a Danish nationwide cohort study

Corrigendum of Acta Orthop 2022; 93: 760-766. doi: https://doi.org/10.2340/17453674.2022.4580.

Postoperative complications, mortality, and quality of in-hospital care among hip fracture patients with Parkinson's disease

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and postoperative complications, mortality, and quality of in-hospital care in patients with hip fracture.

METHODS

We included patients aged 65+ years with an incident hip fracture from 2004-2017, registered in the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry. Patients with PD were identified using diagnosis codes prior to hip fracture. Using log-binomial regression, we calculated both 30-day crude and adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the following outcomes: any hospital-treated infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, community-treated infections, cardiovascular events, mortality, and fulfilment of quality indicators of in-hospital care. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex and Charlson comorbidity index score.

RESULTS

We identified 77,550 hip fracture patients of which 1,915 had PD. Compared to non-PD, patients with PD had higher risk of any hospital-treated - (aRR = 1.27 (CI: 1.10-1.45) and community-treated infection (aRR = 1.22 (CI: 1.13-1.32)), pneumonia (aRR = 1.38 (1.11-1.69)), urinary tract infection (aRR of 1.58 (CI: 1.28-1.92)) and sepsis (aRR = 1.18 (CI: 0.67-1.89)), but a reduced risk of cardiovascular events (aRR = 0.59 (CI: 0.41-0.82)). The aRR for 30-day mortality was 1.11 (CI: 0.97-1.27) for PD vs non-PD patients, and the aHR for 1-year mortality was 1.19 (CI: 1.09-1.30). The aRRs for fulfillment of all relevant quality indicators was about 1 for PD vs non-PD patients.

CONCLUSION

Hip fracture patients with PD have a higher risk of infections and mortality within 30 days after surgery after adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidity. They do, however, receive comparable quality of in-hospital care after hip fracture compared to non-PD patients.

Evaluating the performance of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in fracture risk prediction and developing a new Charlson Fracture Index (CFI): a register-based cohort study

The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) may be applicable for predicting fracture risk since several diagnoses from the index are predictors of fracture. Main results were that the CCI was updated to predict risk of hip fracture with fair precision and that the index could be useful in detecting high-risk individuals.

PURPOSE

Several of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) diagnoses are validated predictors of fracture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the CCI 1987 by Charlson et al. and of the CCI 2011 by Quan et al. in predicting major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) and hip fracture (HF). Furthermore, it was examined whether the index could be modified to improve fracture risk prediction.

METHODS

The study population included the entire Danish population aged 45 + years as per January 1, 2018. The cohort was split randomly 50/50 into a development and a validation cohort. CCI diagnoses and fracture outcomes were identified from hospital diagnoses. The weighting of diagnoses was updated in a new Charlson Fracture Index (CFI) using multivariable logistic regression. Predictive capabilities of the CCI 1987, the updated CCI 2011 and the new Charlson Fracture index were evaluated in the validation cohort by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

In the validation cohort, the 1987 and 2011 CCIs resulted in AUCs below or around 0.7 in prediction of MOF and HF in both sexes. The CFI resulted in AUCs < 0.7 in prediction of MOF in both sexes. In prediction of HF, the CFI resulted in AUC of 0.755 (95% CI 0.749; 0.761) in women and 0.782 (95% CI 0.772; 0.793) in men.

CONCLUSION

The 1987 and 2011 CCIs showed overall poor accuracy in fracture risk prediction. The CFI showed fair accuracy in prediction of HF in women and in men.

Development and validation of a model for predicting mortality in patients with hip fracture

OBJECTIVE

to develop a user-friendly prediction tool of 1-year mortality for patients with hip fracture, in order to guide clinicians and patients on appropriate targeted preventive measures.

DESIGN

population-based cohort study from 2011 to 2017 using nationwide data from the Danish Hip Fracture Registry.

SUBJECTS

a total of 28,791 patients age 65 and above undergoing surgery for a first-time hip fracture.

METHODS

patient-related prognostic factors at the time of admission were assessed as potential predictors: Nursing home residency, comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] Score), frailty (Hospital Frailty Risk Score), basic mobility (Cumulated Ambulation Score), atrial fibrillation, fracture type, body mass index (BMI), age and sex. Association with 1-year mortality examined by determining the cumulative incidence, applying univariable logistic regression and assessing discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC]). The final model (logistic regression) was utilised on a development cohort (70% of patients). Discrimination and calibration were assessed on the validation cohort (remaining 30% of patients).

RESULTS

all predictors showed an association with 1-year mortality, but discrimination was moderate. The final model included nursing home residency, CCI Score, Cumulated Ambulation Score, BMI and age. It had an acceptable discrimination (AUROC 0.74) and calibration, and predicted 1-year mortality risk spanning from 5 to 91% depending on the combination of predictors in the individual patient.

CONCLUSIONS

using information obtainable at the time of admission, 1-year mortality among patients with hip fracture can be predicted. We present a user-friendly chart for daily clinical practice and provide new insight regarding the interplay between prognostic factors.

Risk of mortality and reoperation in hip fracture patients undergoing cemented versus uncemented hemiarthroplasty : a population-based study from Danish National Registries

AIMS

The aim of this study was to assess the association of mortality and reoperation when comparing cemented and uncemented hemiarthroplasty (HA) in hip fracture patients aged over 65 years.

METHODS

This was a population-based cohort study on hip fracture patients using prospectively gathered data from several national registries in Denmark from 2004 to 2015 with up to five years follow-up. The primary outcome was mortality and the secondary outcome was reoperation. Hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality and subdistributional hazard ratios (sHRs) for reoperations are shown with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

A total of 17,671 patients with primary HA were identified (9,484 uncemented and 8,187 cemented HAs). Compared to uncemented HA, surgery with cemented HA was associated with an absolute risk difference of 0.4% for mortality within the period zero to one day after surgery and an adjusted HR of 1.70 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.38). After seven days, there was no longer any association, with an adjusted HR of 1.07 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.28). This continued until five years after surgery with a HR of 1.01 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.06). There was a higher proportion of reoperations due to any reason after five years in the uncemented group with 10.2% compared to the cemented group with 6.1%. This yielded an adjusted sHR of 0.65 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.75) and difference continued up until five years after the surgery, demonstrating a sHR of 0.70 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.83).

CONCLUSION

In a non-selected cohort of hip fracture patients, surgery with cemented HA was associated with a higher relative mortality during the first postoperative day compared to surgery with uncemented HA, but there was no difference after seven days up until five years after. In contrast, surgery with cemented HA was associated with lower risk of reoperation up to five years postoperatively compared with surgery with uncemented HA. There was a higher relative mortality on the first postoperative day for cemented HA versus uncemented HA. There was no difference in mortality after seven days up until five years after surgery. There were 6.1% reoperations for cemented HA compared to 10.2% for uncemented HA after five years. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2022;104-B(1):127-133.

Patient-related healthcare disparities in the quality of acute hip fracture care: a 10-year nationwide population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To characterise and quantify possible patient-related disparities in hip fracture care including temporal changes.

DESIGN

Population-based cohort study.

SETTING

All Danish hospitals treating patients with hip fracture.

PARTICIPANTS

60 275 hip fracture patients from 2007 to 2016.

INTERVENTIONS

Quality of care was defined as fulfilment of eligible care process measures for the individual patient recommended by an expert panel. Using yearly logistic regression models, we predicted the individual patient's probability for receiving high-quality care, resulting in a distribution of adjusted probabilities based on age, sex, comorbidity, fracture type, education, family mean income, migration status, cohabitation status, employment status, nursing home residence and type of municipality. Based on the distribution, we identified best-off patients (ie, the 10% of patients with the highest probability) and worst-off patients (ie, the 10% of patients with the lowest probability). We evaluated disparities in quality of care by measuring the distance in fulfilment of outcomes between the best-off and worst-off patients.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was fulfilment of all-or-none, defined as receiving all relevant process measures. Secondary outcomes were fulfilment of the individual process measures including preoperative optimisation, early surgery, early mobilisation, assessment of pain, basic mobility, nutritional risk and need for antiosteoporotic medication, fall prevention and a postdischarge rehabilitation programme.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients receiving high-quality care varied over time for both best-off and worst-off patients. The absolute difference in percentage points between the best-off and worst-off patients for receiving all-or-none of the eligible process measures was 12 (95% CI 6 to 18) in 2007 and 23 (95% CI 19 to 28) in 2016. Disparities were consistent for a range of care processes, including assessment of pain, mobilisation within 24 hours, assessment of need for antiosteoporotic medication and nutritional risk assessment.

CONCLUSIONS

Disparity of care between best-off and worst-off patients remained substantial over time.

Should Pertrochanteric and Subtrochanteric Fractures Be Treated with a Short or Long Intramedullary Nail?: A Multicenter Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the present multicenter cohort study was to compare the rates of reoperation in elderly patients with pertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures that had been treated with a short or long intramedullary nail.

METHODS

Eleven orthopaedic departments across Denmark delivered data that had been obtained from the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry (DMHFR) and a review of health-care records. With use of surgical procedure codes for pertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures that had been treated with an intramedullary nail, the DMRHF was searched to identify patients who had been ≥65 years of age between 2008 and 2013. The health-care records for patients who had had major reoperations, defined as any reoperation with the exclusion of simple hardware removal, were retrieved from the DMHFR, were reviewed for the type of intramedullary nail and missed reoperations, including peri-implant fractures, within 2 years of follow-up. Crude logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidity was performed, yielding odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Of 2,245 pertrochanteric fractures, 1,867 were treated with a short intramedullary nail and 378 were treated with a long intramedullary nail. The rate of major reoperations was 4.0% in the short intramedullary nail group and 6.3% in the long intramedullary nail group. This yielded a crude OR of 1.61 (1.01 to 2.60) and an adjusted OR of 1.67 (1.04 to 2.70). Of 909 subtrochanteric fractures, 308 were treated with a short intramedullary nail and 601 were treated with a long intramedullary nail. The rate of major reoperations was 8.4% in the short intramedullary nail group and 4.0% in the long intramedullary nail group, yielding a crude OR of 0.45 (0.25 to 0.80) and an adjusted OR of 0.45 (0.25 to 0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study confirming the theory that, for subtrochanteric fractures, a long intramedullary nail has a lower rate of major reoperations compared with a short intramedullary nail. In contrast, a short intramedullary nail has a lower rate of major reoperations compared with a long intramedullary nail for pertrochanteric fractures but with a lower absolute risk reduction compared with the results for subtrochanteric intramedullary nailing. There is a need for validation of these results in other large studies, especially for pertrochanteric fractures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Differences in hip fracture care in Europe: a systematic review of recent annual reports of hip fracture registries

PURPOSE

Hip fractures are of growing interest due to their increasing number, subsequent functional decline and high institutionalization rate of patients, mortality, and costs. Several process measurements are essential for hip fracture care. To compare and improve these, hip fracture registries in Europe became popular. This systematic review aims to describe the differences between hip fracture registries in Europe as well as the differences in hip fracture treatment between countries.

METHODS

A systematic search using the keywords "hip fracture" AND "national" AND "database OR audit OR registry OR register" was performed in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library according to PRISMA guidelines till 3rd December 2020. Recent annual reports of identified hip fracture registries in Europe were additionally identified in June 2021. Comparisons of most common case-mix, process and outcome measurements were performed.

RESULTS

11 registries in Europe were identified. Differences were observed regarding inclusion criteria of the different registries. Comparison of the different registries was difficult due to differences in the way to report measurements. While mortality rates differed substantially between countries, most of the process measurements met recommendations according to recent guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Hip fracture registries were a valid tool to compare hospitals within one country. However, a comparison between registries of different countries should have also been easily possible. For this, the registries need to make their data easily accessible and further unify their way of measuring and reporting.

Agreement Between Self-Reported Information and Administrative Data on Comorbidities, Imaging and Treatment in Denmark - A Validation Study of 38,745 Patients with Knee or Hip Osteoarthritis

Purpose

To validate self-reported information obtained from patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in primary care against administrative data from the three national Danish registries.

Patients and Methods

We compared the baseline and 12-month follow-up data from 38,745 patients with knee or hip OA participating in the Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark (GLA:D^®) program with registry-based data on joint surgeries, pain medication dispensing, radiographs, and hospital diagnoses. Agreement was calculated using Cohen's Kappa (k) and percentage agreement, both with 95% CI.

Results

There was a moderate agreement between self-report and registry-based data for previous knee surgery (k=0.58, 84.99%) and a substantial agreement for previous hip surgery (k=0.73, 97.05%). Agreement varied from 0.05 to 0.95 and 84.99% to 99.94% for different types of surgeries with lowest agreement for collateral ligament surgery (k=0.05, 99.82%) and highest agreement for joint replacement (k=0.95, 99.54% for knee; k=0.95, 99.48% for hip). There was a moderate agreement (k=0.41, 81.59%) for knee and a slight agreement (k=0.20, 64.79%) for hip radiographs. Agreement varied from 0.01 to 0.53 and 65.39% to 99.90% for pain medication with lowest agreement for topical NSAID (k=0.01, 95.00%) and highest agreement for opioids (k=0.53, 92.56%). For comorbidities, agreement varied from 0.14 to 0.90 and 78.07% to 98.91%, with lowest agreement for anemia or other blood disease (k=0.14, 97.63%) and highest agreement for diabetes (k=0.90, 98.73%).

Conclusion

As the most common types of pain medication used by patients with OA can be bought over-the-counter and as most OA patients are treated in primary care, which is often not covered by national registries, self-report of pain medication use and comorbidities is preferred but cannot be sufficiently validated against registry-based data. Future studies collecting self-reported information on joint surgery and pain medication from patients with OA should use a less detailed categorization to improve accuracy.

Sex differences in incidence rate, and temporal changes in surgical management and adverse events after hip fracture surgery in Denmark 1997-2017: a register-based study of 153,058 hip fracture patients

Background and purpose - Extensive research and national multidisciplinary programs have striven to introduce uniform standards of treatment and mitigate mortality and adverse events after hip fracture surgery over the past decades. A large-scale overview of temporal developments in hip fracture surgery and care is warranted.Patients and methods - We studied Danish patients aged ≥ 60 years, sustaining their first ever hip fracture between 1997 and 2017. Patients were identified from the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR). Incidence rates of first hip fracture were calculated per 1,000 patient-years and stratified by age group and sex. Information on pre-injury living settings, comorbidities, and medications were obtained from national administrative registers. Type of fracture and treatment choice were recorded, and patients were followed for 1 year to observe mortality, readmission, and surgical complications.Results - Data from 153,058 patients was analyzed. Incidence rate decreased in both sexes, but only led to a reduction in the annual number of hip fractures in the female population. Choice of surgery shifted away from sliding hip screws and parallel implants (SHS-PI), towards intramedullary nailing and hemi-/arthroplasties for trochanteric and femoral neck fractures, respectively. Pre-injury diagnosed morbidity and 1-year readmissions increased contrary to mortality. Median age remained stable around 83 (IQR 77-88) for women and 80 (IQR 73-86) for men.Interpretation - Over the past 2 decades important aspects of hip fracture management have improved. However, sex differences were observed, and men remain more vulnerable than women in terms of morbidity, mortality, and incidence rate.

Global epidemiology of hip fractures: a study protocol using a common analytical platform among multiple countries

INTRODUCTION

Hip fractures are associated with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. Globally, there is wide variation in the incidence of hip fracture in people aged 50 years and older. Longitudinal and cross-geographical comparisons of health data can provide insights on aetiology, risk factors, and healthcare practices. However, systematic reviews of studies that use different methods and study periods do not permit direct comparison across geographical regions. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate global secular trends in hip fracture incidence, mortality and use of postfracture pharmacological treatment across Asia, Oceania, North and South America, and Western and Northern Europe using a unified methodology applied to health records.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This retrospective cohort study will use a common protocol and an analytical common data model approach to examine incidence of hip fracture across population-based databases in different geographical regions and healthcare settings. The study period will be from 2005 to 2018 subject to data availability in study sites. Patients aged 50 years and older and hospitalised due to hip fracture during the study period will be included. The primary outcome will be expressed as the annual incidence of hip fracture. Secondary outcomes will be the pharmacological treatment rate and mortality within 12 months following initial hip fracture by year. For the primary outcome, crude and standardised incidence of hip fracture will be reported. Linear regression will be used to test for time trends in the annual incidence. For secondary outcomes, the crude mortality and standardised mortality incidence will be reported.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Each participating site will follow the relevant local ethics and regulatory frameworks for study approval. The results of the study will be submitted for peer-reviewed scientific publications and presented at scientific conferences.

Loss of pre-fracture basic mobility status at hospital discharge for hip fracture is associated with 30-day post-discharge risk of infections - a four-year nationwide cohort study of 23,309 Danish patients

BACKGROUND

The loss of pre-fracture basic mobility status is associated with increased mortality and any readmission after hip fracture. However, it is less known if the loss of pre-fracture mobility has impact on acquiring a post-discharge infection.

PURPOSE

To examine if the loss of pre-fracture basic mobility status at hospital discharge was associated with hospital-treated or community-treated infections within 30-days of hospital discharge after hip fracture.

METHODS

Using the nationwide Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry from January 2014 through November 2017, we included 23,309 patients undergoing surgery for a first-time hip fracture. The Cumulated Ambulation Score (CAS, 0-6 points) was recorded using questionnaire at admission (pre-fracture CAS) and objectively assessed at discharge. The loss of any CAS-points at discharge compared with pre-fracture CAS was calculated and dichotomized (yes/no). Using Cox regression analyses, we estimated the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of any hospital-treated infection, hospital-treated pneumonia or community-treated infection adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, residential status, type of fracture, and length of hospital stay (LOS).

RESULTS

Total of 12,046 (62%) patients lost their pre-fracture CAS status at discharge. Among patients who had lost their pre-fracture CAS, 6.0% developed a hospital-treated infection compared to 4% of those who did not lose their pre-fracture CAS. Correspondingly, 9.2% versus 6.2% developed a community-treated infection. The risk of 30-day post-discharge infection increased with increasing loss of any CAS points. The adjusted HRs for patients who had lost their pre-fracture CAS status, compared to patients who did not, was 1.34 (CI: 1.16-1.54) for hospital-treated infection, 1.35 (CI: 1.09 - 1.67) for pneumonia and 1.36 (CI: 1.21-1.52) for community-treated infection.

CONCLUSION

In this large national cohort study, we found that loss of pre-fracture basic mobility status upon hospital discharge was strongly associated with 30-day post-discharge risk of developing infection. These findings suggest a clinical importance of carefully focusing on regaining the pre-fracture basic mobility before discharging the patient.

Fracture rates in patients discontinuing alendronate treatment in real life: a population-based cohort study

In this nationwide register-based cohort study, we found no difference in the risk of fractures in patients discontinuing versus continuing alendronate (ALN) treatment after 5 years.

INTRODUCTION

Information on fracture risk in patients discontinuing ALN in a real-life setting is sparse. We aimed to examine ALN discontinuation patterns, compare fracture rates in patients discontinuing versus continuing ALN after 5 years of treatment, and define determinants of fractures in ALN discontinuers.

METHODS

A nationwide population-based cohort study using Danish health registry data. Our source population was individuals who had redeemed ≥ 2 ALN prescriptions between January 1, 1995, and September 1, 2017.

RESULTS

We found that 25% of all ALN initiators used ALN for less than 1 year and 43% continued treatment for at least 5 years. We classified n = 1865 as ALN discontinuers and n = 29,619 as ALN continuers. Using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and an "as-treated" approach, we observed no increased risk of any fracture (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.06, 95% CI 0.92-1.23), vertebral fracture (IRR 0.59, 95% CI 0.33-1.05), hip fracture (IRR 1.04, 95% CI 0.75-1.45), or major osteoporotic fracture (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 0.88-1.25) in the ALN discontinuers compared to continuers during a follow-up time of 1.84 ± 1.56 years (mean ± SD) and 2.51 ± 1.60 years, respectively. ALN re-initiation was a major determinant of follow-up among the discontinuers. Old age (> 80 vs. 50-60 years, unadjusted IRR 2.92, 95% CI 1.18-7.24) was the strongest determinant for fractures following ALN discontinuation.

CONCLUSION

In a real-world setting, less than 50% continued ALN treatment for 5 years. We found no difference in the risk of fractures in patients discontinuing versus continuing ALN after 5 years.

Hospital variation in the risk of infection after hip fracture surgery: a population-based cohort study including 29,598 patients from 2012-2017

Background and purpose - Understanding the key drivers of hospital variation in postoperative infections after hip fracture surgery is important for directing quality improvements. Therefore, we investigated variation in the risk of any infection, and subgroups of infections including pneumonia and sepsis after hip fracture surgery.Methods - In this nationwide population-based cohort study, all Danish patients aged ≥ 65 undergoing surgery for an incident hip fracture from 2012 to 2017 were included. Risk of postoperative infections, based on data from hospital registration (hospital-treated infections) and antibiotic dispensing (community-treated infections), were calculated using multilevel Poisson regression analysis. Hospital variation was evaluated by intra-class coefficient (ICC) and median risk ratio (MRR).Results - The risk of hospital-treated infection was 15%. The risk of community-treated infection was 24%. The adjusted risk varied between hospitals from 7.8-25% for hospital-treated infection and 16-34% for community-treated infection. The ICC indicated that 19% of the adjusted variance was due to hospital level for hospital-treated infection. The ICC for community-treated infections was 13%. The MRR showed a 2-fold increased risk for the average patient acquiring a hospital-treated infection at the highest risk hospital compared with the lowest risk hospital. For community-treated infection, the MRR was 1.4.Interpretation - Our results suggest that 20% of infections could be reduced by applying the top performing hospitals' approach. Nearly a 5th of the variation was at the hospital level. This suggests a more standardized approach to avoid postoperative infection after hip fracture surgery.Hip fracture is a leading cause of hospital admission among the elderly. The 30-day mortality following hip fracture surgery has been approximately 10% during the last few years in Denmark (Pedersen et al. 2017). Higher mortality after hip fracture has been associated with a range of hospital factors (Kristensen et al. 2016, Sheehan et al. 2016) and patient factors in observational studies (Roche et al. 2005). Furthermore, variation in 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery has been observed between Danish hospitals, but not fully explained (Kristensen et al. 2019).

Validity of Self-Reported Diagnosis of Osteoporosis in Japan Nurses' Health Study

Purpose

Although the validity of self-reported osteoporosis is often questioned, validation studies are lacking. This study was performed to investigate how well self-reported diagnoses of osteoporosis agreed with validated clinical information in young and middle-aged women in the Japan Nurses’ Health Study (JNHS), a nationwide prospective cohort study of nursing professionals.

Patients and Methods

Data were reviewed for 15,717 subjects from the combined cohorts of the JNHS and a preceding pilot study (Gunma Nurses’ Health Study). The subjects’ mean age at the baseline (BL) survey was 41.6 ± 8.3 years, and the mean follow-up period was 11.5 ± 4.4 years. Participating nurses were mailed a follow-up questionnaire every 2 years. Respondents who self-reported a positive osteoporosis diagnosis during the study period were sent an additional confirmation questionnaire to corroborate the details.

Results

The number (proportion) of women with osteoporosis was 884 (5.6%) [primary osteoporosis, 812 (5.2%); secondary osteoporosis, 72 (0.5%)]. The cumulative incidence of osteoporosis at the age of 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years was estimated to be 0.1% (95% confidence interval, 0.1–0.2), 1.1% (0.9–1.3), 7.7% (7.0–8.4), 23.6% (21.6–25.7), and 54.2% (40.2–68.1), respectively. For BL and regular follow-up + expert review versus BL and regular follow-up + confirmation questionnaire + expert review, the positive predictive value (PPV) was 61.3% versus 85.6% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 98.9% versus 98.2%, respectively.

Conclusion

Self-reporting was associated with a high NPV for the incidence of osteoporosis. Although the PPV was slightly lower, additional corroborations by confirmation questionnaire might improve the PPV.

Is tranexamic acid use in patients with a hip fracture safe?

AIMS

To assess the safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) in a large cohort of patients aged over 65 years who have sustained a hip fracture, with a focus on transfusion rates, mortality, and thromboembolic events.

METHODS

This is a consecutive cohort study with prospectively collected registry data. Patients with a hip fracture in the Region of Southern Denmark were included over a two-year time period (2015 to 2017) with the first year constituting a control group. In the second year, perioperative TXA was introduced as an intervention. Outcome was transfusion frequency, 30-day and 90-day mortality, and thromboembolic events. The latter was defined as any diagnosis or death due to arterial or venous thrombosis. The results are presented as relative risk (RR) and hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

A total of 3,097 patients were included: 1,558 in the control group and 1,539 in the TXA group.31% (n = 477) of patients had transfusions in the control group compared to 27% (n = 405) in the TXA group yielding an adjusted RR of 0.83 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.91). TXA was not associated with increased 30-day mortality with an adjusted HR of 1.10 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.39) compared to the control group as well as no association with increased risk of 90-day mortality with a per protocol adjusted HR of 1.24 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.66). TXA was associated with a lower risk of thromboembolic events after 30 days (RR 0.63 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.93)) and 90 days (RR 0.72 (95% CI 0.52 to 0.99)). A subanalysis on haemoglobin demonstrated a median 17.7 g/L (interquartile range (IQR) 11.3 to 27.3) decrease in the control group compared to 17.7 g/L (IQR 9.7 to 25.8) in the per protocol TXA group (p = 0.060 on group level difference).

CONCLUSION

TXA use in patients with a hip fracture, was not associated with an increased risk of mortality but was associated with lower transfusion rate and reduced thromboembolic events. Thus, we conclude that it is safe to use TXA in this patient group. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(3):449-455.

Risk factors for new chronic opioid use after hip fracture surgery: a Danish nationwide cohort study from 2005 to 2016 using the Danish multidisciplinary hip fracture registry

OBJECTIVE

To examine the risk factors for new chronic opioid use in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery.

DESIGN

Prospective population-based cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Using Danish nationwide health registries, we identified all opioid non-user patients aged ≥65 years who had undergone hip fracture surgery from 2005 to 2016 and were alive within the first year following surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

New chronic opioid use defined by the dispensing of at least two prescription opioids within two of the last three quarters during the first year following surgery.

RESULTS

We identified 37 202 opioid non-user patients who underwent hip fracture surgery. Of these, 5497 (15%) developed new chronic opioid user within 1 year of surgery. Risk factors for new chronic opioid use were Body Mass Index (BMI) of <18.5 (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.22, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.36), BMI of 25.0-29.9 (aOR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.21) and BMI of ≥30 (aOR 1.57, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.76) with BMI 18.6-24.9 as reference, a pertrochanteric/subtrochanteric fracture (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.34) with femoral neck fracture as reference, preoperative use (vs no-use) of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.55 to 1.83), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.53), antidepressants (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.49), antipsychotics (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.35), corticosteroids (aOR 1.54, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.76), statins (aOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.18), antibiotics (aOR 1.32, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.42), antiosteoporosis drugs (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.49) and anticoagulatives (aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.32). Presence of cardiovascular comorbidities, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or renal diseases was further identified as a risk factor.

CONCLUSION

In this large nationwide cohort study, we identified several risk factors associated with new chronic opioid use after hip fracture surgery among patients who were alive within the first year following surgery. Although not all factors are modifiable preoperative, this will allow clinicians to appropriately counsel patients preoperatively and tailor postoperative treatment.

Diagnosis of Open Tibial Fracture Showed High Positive Predictive Value in the Swedish National Patient Register

Introduction

The Swedish National Patient Register was validated only for a few diagnoses in the field of trauma. In this study, we calculated the positive predictive values (PPV) of the diagnosis of open tibial fracture and corresponding E-codes (cause of injury).

Patients and Methods

Out of 2845 cases from a 10-year period (2007–2016), a random sample of 300 cases was selected for review of medical records. The accuracy of the diagnosis and cause of injury was calculated and presented as PPV. We divided the study population into two subgroups (moderate and severe injury) that were analyzed separately. Severe injury was defined as when a patient had an amputation and/or reconstructive surgical procedures, indicated by corresponding ICD-codes.

Results

The PPV of the diagnosis of open tibial fracture was 87% (95% CI: 86–88%) overall, 86% (95% CI: 79–91%) for moderate injuries and 96% (95% CI: 91–98%) for severe injuries. The PPV for E-codes was 74% (95% CI: 65–81%). The majority of injuries were caused by falls (47%) or transport accidents (38%). Most of these injuries were caused by high-energy trauma (60%).

Conclusion

The PPV of the diagnosis of open tibial fracture in the Swedish National Patient Register is high (87%). The PPV of E-codes was lower (79%). The results imply that the register is well suited for healthcare evaluation and research purposes regarding trauma diagnoses. Most open tibial fractures are high-energy injuries.

Association of CHA2 DS2 -VASc Score with Stroke, Thromboembolism, and Death in Hip Fracture Patients

OBJECTIVES

Patients undergoing hip fracture surgery have a 10 times increased risk of stroke compared with the general population. We aimed to evaluate the association between the CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes, previous stroke/TIA [transient ischemic attack]/systemic embolism (2 points), vascular disease, age 65-74 years, and female sex) score and the risk of stroke, thromboembolism, and all-cause mortality in patients with hip fracture with or without atrial fibrillation (AF).

DESIGN

Nationwide prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Danish hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects were all incident hip fracture patients in Denmark age 65 years and older with surgical repair procedures between 2004 and 2016 (n = 78,096). Participants were identified using the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry.

MEASUREMENTS

We calculated incidence rates, cumulative incidences, and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score, stratified on AF history.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke 1 year after hip fracture increased with ascending CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score, and it was 1.9% for patients with a score of 1 and 8.6% for patients with a score above 5 in the AF group. Corresponding incidences in the non-AF group were 1.6% and 7.6%. Compared with a CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score of 1, adjusted HRs were 5.53 (95% CI = 1.37-22.24) among AF patients and 4.91 (95% CI = 3.40-7.10) among non-AF patients with a score above 5. A dose-response-like association was observed for all cardiovascular outcomes. All-cause mortality risks and HRs were substantially higher for all CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc scores above 1 in both the AF group and the non-AF group.

CONCLUSION

Among patients with hip fracture, a higher CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score was associated with increased risk of stroke, thromboembolism, and death. This finding applied both to patients with and without AF. Patients with high CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc scores had almost similar absolute risks for cardiovascular outcomes, irrespective of AF. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1698-1705, 2020.