2010 Effect of early surgery after hip fracture on mortality and complications

Description: Guidelines exist for the surgical treatment of hip fracture, but the effect of early surgery on mortality and other outcomes that are important for patients remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of early surgery on the risk of death and common postoperative complications among elderly patients with hip fracture.
Interpretation: Earlier surgery was associated with a lower risk of death and lower rates of postoperative pneumonia and pressure sores among elderly patients with hip fracture. These results suggest that reducing delays may reduce mortality and complications.
Effect of early surgery after hip fracture on mortality and complications: systematic review and meta-analysis
Published online ahead of print September 13, 2010 CMAJ 10.1503/cmaj.092220 Nicole Simunovic, P. J. Devereaux, Sheila Sprague, Gordon H. Guyatt, Emil Schemitsch, Justin DeBeer, Mohit Bhandari