BMJ  2003;327 (4 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7418.0

Death rate after fractured neck of femur has stabilised

Deaths after fractured neck of femur declined from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, but not since then. In a time trend analysis for 1968 to 1998, Roberts and Goldacre (p 771) examined case fatality rates at 30, 90, and 365 days after admission for over 30 000 elderly people in southern England with fractured neck of femur. They found that in the first month after fracture standardised mortality ratios in women were 16 times higher, and those in men 12 times higher, than mortality in this age group in the general population. The authors say that it is unclear whether mortality has fallen to an irreducible minimum, or whether further reduction is possible. They highlight the importance of the prevention of osteoporosis, falls, and fractures in elderly people.

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Time trends and demography of mortality after fractured neck of femur in an English population, 1968-98: database study

Stephen E Roberts and Michael J Goldacre
BMJ 2003 327: 771-775. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]