Article

There is a 5- to 8-fold increased risk of mortality during the first
3 months after a hip fracture. Several risk factors are known. We studied the
predictive value (for mortality) of routine blood tests taken on admission.
METHODS: 792 hip fracture patients were included prospectively; blood tests were
taken on admission. Follow-up data on mortality were obtained from the civil
registration system. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on whether they
had survived at least 90 days after the hip fracture. To estimate which
laboratory tests could be used to predict outcome, we used receiver operation
characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: 3-month mortality could be predicted with
69% accuracy from the level of plasma creatinine in standard admission blood
tests. The mortality in patients with elevated levels of creatinine was almost
3-fold that of the patients with normal creatinine. Mortality was also associated
with age, low blood hemoglobin, high plasma potassium, and low plasma albumin
levels. INTERPRETATION: Our findings could be of use in identifying patients who
might benefit from increased attention perioperatively.

Langue : ANGLAIS