ANEMIA IN PATIENTS AFTER HIP FRACTURE REPAIR SURGERY

INTRODUCTION Hip fractures (HF) are common among the elderly. The prevalence increases with age and occurs more frequently among females. Up to 30% mortality rates have been observed during the first year following HF, with or without surgery. Additional implications may include functional and cognitive decline and significant morbidity. Many factors are associated with morbidity and mortality after HF repair surgery, including anemia. Anemia is present in approximately 50% of these patients upon admission to the hospital and its incidence increases further following surgery. The mean reduction in the hemoglobin level after surgery is estimated at 0.7-2.5 g/dL. There are several causes of anemia, some are patient dependent and some are related to the type of fracture and surgery. Anemia has a significant effect on the elderly patient in general, and on the patient's condition post-HF in particular. Anemia on admission is associated with short and long-term mortality, in addition to the length of stay, amount of blood transfusions, repeated hospitalizations, post-operative complications, poor functioning and a reduced quality of life. The most common treatment for anemic patients before and after HF repair surgery is the administration of blood transfusions. It has been common practice to administer blood transfusions when hemoglobin reaches a level of 8g/dL, however the effectiveness of this approach in older patients is not conclusive. Regarding other modalities, i.e., iron, erythropoietin and tranexamic acid, there are currently no clear guidelines in the literature and their effectiveness has not been fully established. Further research is needed to address these issues.