Hospital mortality after arthroplasty using a cemented stem for displaced femoral neck fractures.

Purpose: To review hospital mortality after hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a cemented stem for displaced femoral neck fractures.

Methods: Medical records of 284 hips in 70 men and 209 women aged 45 to 106 (mean, 81.3) years who underwent hemiarthroplasty (n=232) or THA (n=52) with a cemented stem using third-generation cementing techniques (including use of a plug, lavage, and cement pressurisation) for displaced femoral neck fractures were retrospectively reviewed. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grading, 6 patients were classified preoperatively as grade 1, 77 as grade 2, 148 as grade 3, 47 as grade 4, and one as grade 5. Patients were operated on within 48 hours. Patients were rehabilitated in the hospital until discharge. The primary outcome measure was hospital mortality, including the cause of death.

Results: The mean length of hospital stay was 9.2 (standard deviation, 4.1) days. The hospital mortality was 5.7% (n=16). Of the 16 patients who died, 3 were classified preoperatively as ASA grade 2, 6 as grade 3, and 7 as grade 4. One patient died during the operation. One patient died in the recovery room within 6 hours. Both died from a cardiac arrest and were classified as ASA grade 4. Six patients died within the first 5 days. The causes of death were aspiration pneumonia (n=5), cardiac arrest (n=3), bowel perforation (n=2), multiple organ failure (n=3), type 2 respiratory failure (n=1), heart failure (n=1), and subarachnoid bleeding after a hospital fall (n=1).

Conclusion: Hemiarthroplasty or THA using a cemented stem resulted in low hospital mortality in our hospital dedicated to the treatment of geriatric hip fractures. Hospital mortality was higher in patients with ASA grade 3 or higher.