[Fractures of the proximal end of the femur: clinico-statistical data on 246 cases treated in the period 1972-1978].

During the past seven years an increasing number of hip fractures were treated in the new orthopaedic division of the Treviglio-Caravaggio Hospital. A survey was made of 246 cases treated in the 1972-1978 period. The mean age of the patients was found to be 69,9 years, and 64,6 % of them were women. Lateral fractures accounted for 66,6% of the cases and the mean age of these patients was 78 years. The average hospitalization time of the operated patients was 21,6 days and the mortality after 3 months was 16%. The Authors emphasize that the extensive adoption of surgical treatment in these fractures has improved the survival rate and shortened the hospitalization time.