Abstract
BackgroundAnaemia in hip fracture patients has been associated with increased risk of allogenic blood transfusion (ABT), poorer functional outcomes and increased mortality. Few studies have reported the prevalence of anaemia on admission or its progression prior to surgery in this cohort. We aimed to measure the prevalence of anaemia on admission in older persons who sustain a hip fracture, identify if anaemia develops or progresses prior to surgery, and to report associations with outcome.MethodsA retrospective, observational study was undertaken in a regional hospital. All patients aged 60 and over, admitted with a primary hip fracture resulting from a simple fall, in the 12 months of 2014 were included. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of anaemia was used. Pathology databases and clinical records were reviewed to collect data. Repeated measures ANOVA’s were used to quantify the progression of anaemia prior to surgery, and Chi square test were used to report associations with outcome variables.ResultsTwo hundred sixty-one patients were identified, median age was 81 years. There were twice as many females as males and just over half the sample had extracapsular fractures. Anaemia was present on admission in 45% (n = 117), highest incidence of anaemia occurred in males 52.0% (n = 39), extracapsular fractures 41.9% (n = 78) and those aged over 80 years 49.7% (n = 91). Progression of anaemia prior to surgery was significant in all groups (p < 0.05), with the greatest reduction seen in extracapsular fractures. Pre-surgery reduction in Hb was recorded in 82.3% of patients between admission and day 1, and in 71.4% between admission and day 2. There was significant association between anaemia on admission and PRBC transfusion (p < 0.05), in hospital mortality (p < 0.05) however no association with the use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication, nor LOS.ConclusionsThe findings demonstrate that pre-surgical anaemia in older hip fracture patients is associated with a PRBC transfusion and increased hospital mortality. Importantly, it also identified that patients continue to bleed after admission, leading to the development of or worsening anaemia. Thus, identification anaemia in the pre-surgical period provides an opportunity for treatment to avoid transfusions and improve patient outcomes.
Highlights
Anaemia in hip fracture patients has been associated with increased risk of allogenic blood transfusion (ABT), poorer functional outcomes and increased mortality
One physiological marker that contributes to poor outcomes in hip fracture patients is anaemia due to low haemoglobin (Hb)
Anaemia was present on admission (D0) in 44.8% of patients (n = 117), with a mean (SD) admission Hb of 12.3 g/dL (1.58), for the whole sample
Summary
Anaemia in hip fracture patients has been associated with increased risk of allogenic blood transfusion (ABT), poorer functional outcomes and increased mortality. We aimed to measure the prevalence of anaemia on admission in older persons who sustain a hip fracture, identify if anaemia develops or progresses prior to surgery, and to report associations with outcome. Hip fractures in the elderly are associated with poor outcomes. The comorbidity of these older patients combined with the physiological stress of injury and surgery contribute to poorer outcomes [1, 2]. One physiological marker that contributes to poor outcomes in hip fracture patients is anaemia due to low haemoglobin (Hb). More than 42% of hip fracture surgery patients present with anaemia on admission [6, 7] this has not been investigated in Australia
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