Background: With an expected doubling of the geriatric population within the next thirty years it is becoming increasingly important to determine who among the elderly population benefit from orthopaedic interventions. This study assesses post-operative outcomes in patients aged seventy or greater who sustained a proximal humerus fracture and were treated surgically as compared to a younger geriatric cohort to determine if there is a chronologic age after which post-operative outcomes significantly decline.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for 201 patients who sustained fractures of the proximal humerus (OTA 11A-C) and were treated operatively by open reduction and internal fixation.