[Survival of proximal femoral fractures vs. mean life expectancy of the general population : Retrospective analysis of 1000 geriatric patients minimum 10 years after operation].

Background: Surgery for geriatric proximal femoral fractures (PF) is associated with high mortality rates within the first year. Studies with follow-up of at least 10 years after surgery are lacking.

Material And Methods: Based on our database, we reviewed patients with PF who underwent surgery and were followed for a minimum of 10 years. Only patients aged 65-99 years were included. The primary endpoint was survival compared to the mean life expectancy of the general population evaluated by the German Federal Statistical Office. The secondary endpoint was any revision later than 1 year after surgery. After a minimum of 10 years telephone calls were conducted with living patients or their relatives.

Results: From a total of 1203 consecutive patients 1000 patients with 1000 PF were evaluated after a mean of 12.2 years (range 10.0-14.0 years). The mean survival was 4.5 ± 1.6 years, and the 10-year survival rate was 13.1%. A total of 7 periods with a range of 5 years were analyzed, starting from 65-69 years up to 95-99 years. Compared to the mean life expectancy of the general population, the survival rate of the sample was significantly shorter up to 9 years. Both genders were equally affected. With increasing age, this gap declined based on shorter life expectancy. A subgroup analysis revealed that patients with survival > 1 year did not demonstrate significantly better results. Revisions later than 1 year after the index surgery were infrequent, and only 27 (2.7%) were recorded.

Conclusion: Geriatric patients with PF have significantly shorter life expectancy than the general population evaluated by the German Federal Statistical Office. This reflects fragility and morbidity of patients with PF.