PREDICTORS OF FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME FOLLOWING INTRACAPSULAR HIP FRACTURE IN ELDERLY WOMEN: A ONE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Aims: To explore potential predictors of functional outcome one year after the injury in elderly women who sustained a displaced intracapsular hip fracture and who were treated with internal fixation, hemiarthroplasty, or total hip arthroplasty. Methods: Eighty-four women aged > 50 years were enrolled on a consecutive basis in this one-year prospective cohort study reflecting standard day-to-day clinical practice. The main outcome measure was the Rapid Disability Rating Scale version-2 applied at hospital discharge and one year later. Results: The total hip arthroplasty group was younger (p Overall, the most significant predictors of poor functional status one year after fracture were increasing age (p=0.005), living in an institution at time of injury (p=0.034), and poor functional status at discharge (p Conclusions: In elderly women with a displaced intra-capsular hip fracture, total hip arthroplasty is associated with a functional benefit within the first months after surgery. However, the extent to which this functional benefit is maintained over time, is less clear. Our results support the need for randomised clinical trials among elderly women with a displaced intracapsular hip fracture to quantify the extent to which the early functional benefit of total hip arthroplasty is maintained in the long run or compromised by progressive cognitive impairment and other negative determinants of functional outcome.