Mortality Risk After Falls and Hip Fractures in Older Adults

Short-term Mortality

The American College of Surgeons recommends that 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery is 8.4%, with up to half of these postoperative deaths potentially preventable 1
Mortality risk is higher for older, sicker, and male patients 1
Surgical delays beyond 12 hours significantly increase the adjusted risk of 30-day mortality, as reported by the American College of Radiology 3

Up to 15-30% of hip fracture patients die within one year of surgery, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 1, 2
Geriatric hip fracture is associated with excess short-term and long-term all-cause mortality in both sexes, with mortality in the first year three times higher than expected in the general geriatric population, as stated by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 4
Overall mortality is highest (19%) in the oldest patients (≥86 years old) and those with the most severe injuries, as reported by the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 5

Male sex is a risk factor for increased mortality, as reported by the American College of Surgeons 1
Sarcopenia is the strongest predictor of out-of-hospital mortality among older adults who sustained a fall, with a hazard ratio of 4.77, according to the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 6
Any complication is an independent predictor of overall mortality in geriatric patients, with an odds ratio of 2.3, as reported by the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 5

Up to half of postoperative deaths may be potentially preventable, according to the American College of Surgeons 1
Mortality may be reduced through early surgery (within 24-48 hours of admission), as recommended by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 4
Early palliative care intervention (24-72 hours) for high-risk patients may also reduce mortality, as reported by the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 6

In geriatric blunt trauma patients, sarcopenia is associated with increased in-hospital mortality, with an odds ratio of 1.61, as reported by the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 5
Only 44% of patients admitted from home are discharged back to their own homes within 30 days of surgery, according to the American College of Surgeons 1