Why are hip fractures in the elderly so deadly?
In: Biology
Generally, healthy people don’t fall and break their hip. On top of that, most hip fractures require some type of surgical fixation, and that can be a traumatic process, especially for someone who isn’t particularly well optimized for surgery. There is also a risk of anemia, blood clots, hardware failure and infection. On top of that, despite that physical therapy is initiated ASAP; often same day, there is often subsequent deconditioning, as well as a risk of subsequent dislocation (depending on the type of fracture and surgery) which sometimes requires revision surgery.
Source: Am an ortho surgery PA who’s first call for a major trauma hospital
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