Post-operative statistics.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Q Cox.
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A study was undertaken in September 1988 of 169 patients who were > 50 years of age receiving care for hip fractures at 4 university-affiliated hospitals during a 2-year period. Demographics, medical history, cognitive function, mobility, and environmental factors surrounding the hip fractures were ascertained by patient or proxy interview and review of medical records. These were then related to the type and severity of hip fracture. Eighty-three (49%) patients had intertrochanteric fractures, 23 (14%) had subtrochanteric fractures, and 63 (37%) had intracapsular fractures. Walking versus standing, sitting, or getting up at the time of fracture (relative odds = 3.2, p = .041), and no mobility difficulty versus some mobility difficulty (relative odds = 5.2, p = .047) were associated with increased comminution in intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric fractures. The location of the fracture occurrence (indoor versus outdoors) was associated with greater displacement in intracapsular fractures (relative odds = 6.7, p = 0.021). Only 2 of 169 patients had spontaneous hip fractures, defined as hip pain that preceded the fall. Because spontaneous fractures are rare, efforts directed toward preventing falls would be expected to decrease the incidence of hip fractures. Future possibilities include the development of protective garments that can reduce impact loading to the hip during a fall.
A case study was undertaken to determine perceptions about protective garments for the prevention of recurrent hip fractures. We studied 169 patients with hip fractures, over 50 years of age, who were admitted to four university-affiliated hospitals. Proxy respondents were interviewed for 36% (n = 61) of the patients. Significant differences were found in the two groups; therefore, only the analyses from 108 patients who were interviewed are reported. Seventy percent of the patients were willing to wear a padded garment prescribed by a doctor. Factors associated with a positive response were no previous hip fracture, and an intrinsic cause of the fracture (P <or= 0.05). Over half (55%) of the patients were willing to wear an inflatable garment. Being female and fracturing the hip away from home were two factors that were associated with a positive response. Characteristics of the protective garment that patients thought were a concern or very important were effectiveness (83%), fit (82%), comfort (78%), laundering (66%), cost (57%), not showing (55%) and looked well (54%). These findings may assist investigators in the design of protective garments and thereby increase the receptivity and compliance among elderly patients.