Postoperative Complications of Hip Fractures Patients on Chronic Coumadin: A Comparison Based on Operative International Normalized Ratio.

In current clinical practice, orthopedic surgeons often delay the surgery intervention on geriatric hip fracture patients to optimize the international normalized ratio (INR), in order to decrease the risk of postoperative hematological complications. However, some evidence suggests that full reversal protocols may not be necessary, especially for patients with prior thromboembolic history. Our study aims to compare the surgical outcomes of patients with normal versus elevated INR values.

The Clinical and Economic Impact of Preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiography in Elderly Patients with Hip Fractures.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) on cardiac intervention, length of stay (LOS), inpatient mortality, and costs.

Methods: A retrospective series of 43 preoperative TTE and 161 non-TTE (control) hip fracture patients (> 65 years) was reviewed. The data collected included ASA score, comorbidities, indication for TTE, perioperative cardiac intervention, LOS, inpatient mortality, and cost.