Functional improvement of self-care in the elderly after hip fracture: is age a factor?

• Published in: Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery 2014-04, Vol.134 (4), p.489-493
• Main Authors: Doshi, Hitendra K., Ramason, Rani, Azellarasi, Josephine, Chan, Wai Lim William, Naidu, Ganesan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Age; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Fractures; Hip Fractures - physiopathology; Hip Fractures - rehabilitation; Hip Fractures - surgery; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Orthopedics; Patients; Recovery of Function; Trauma Surgery; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0936-8051; 1434-3916
• DOI: 10.1007/s00402-014-1924-9

Introduction The aging population is growing rapidly in Asia resulting in an increased number of hip fractures being managed surgically. Though there is evidence of improved quality of patient care and outcomes with well-established models of care, we do not know if the functional recovery in activities of daily living among this group of patients is also dependant on age. We hypothesize that there will be a difference in Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scores between the ‘older old’ (>85 years) and the ‘younger old’ (60 years) treated surgically were divided into Group A (below 85 years) and Group B (above 85 years). Demographic data, Charlson’s Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, time to surgery and length of stay (LOS) were recorded. To assess the recovery in activities of daily living, the MBI scores were measured for the following intervals; pre-fall, at discharge, at 6-month and at 1-year follow-up. Results The mean age for Group A ( n  = 120) was 77 years (60–85) and the mean age for Group B ( n  = 59) was 91.8 years (86–108). There was no significant difference in the mean CCI (A: 1.14, B: 1.24), mean time to surgery (A: 72.3 h, B: 79.9 h) and mean LOS (A: 10.8 days, B: 10.3 days). The MBI scores were significantly different ( P