Humeral Shaft Fracture Healing Rates in Older Patients.

Nonoperative treatment has become the standard of care for the majority of humeral shaft fractures. Published studies have mainly come from trauma centers with a young cohort of patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the nonunion rate of humeral shaft fractures in patients older than 55 years. A retrospective study was performed on a group of orthopedic trauma group treated at a level I trauma center during a 10-year period (2007-2017). Patients 55 years or older and treated for a humeral shaft fracture nonoperatively, with or without manipulation, were identified. Nonunion was defined by no bridging callus radiographically or by gross motion at the fracture at least 12 weeks from injury. There were 31 patients identified with humeral shaft fractures who met the inclusion criteria. The cohort included 21 (67.7%) females and 10 (32.3%) males with a mean age of 72.5 years (range, 55-92 years). Twenty-one fractures went on to union, and there were 10 nonunions, with no significant differences in the demographics or comorbidities. There was no correlation between AO/OTA fracture classification or fracture location and union status. There was a tendency toward higher risk of nonunion in proximal third humeral shaft fractures (45%) compared with middle (26%) and distal third (20%) humeral shaft fractures, although this was not statistically significant. The overall nonunion rate for humeral shaft fractures was 32% for patients older than 55 years. The authors found a significant correlation between age and union rate: as age increased, union rate decreased (R=-0.9, P=.045). The incidence of humeral shaft nonunion in patients older than 55 years was significantly higher than that of younger adults. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to report a significant correlation between nonunion and increased age. [Orthopedics. 2020;43(3);168-172.].

Readmission within 30 days of discharge after hip fracture care.

The Affordable Care Act currently requires hospitals to report 30-day readmission rates for certain medical conditions. It has been suggested that surveillance will expand to include hip and knee surgery-related readmissions in the future. To ensure quality of care and avoid penalties, readmissions related to hip fractures require further investigation. The goal of this study was to evaluate factors associated with 30-day hospital readmission after hip fracture at a level I trauma center. This retrospective cohort study included 1486 patients who were 65 years or older and had a surgical procedure performed to treat a femoral neck, intertrochanteric, and/or subtrochanteric hip fracture during an 8-year period. Analysis of these patients showed a 30-day readmission rate of 9.35% (n=139). Patients in the readmission group had a significantly higher rate of pre-existing diabetes and pulmonary disease and a longer initial hospital length of stay. Readmissions were primarily the result of medical complications, with only one-fourth occurring secondary to orthopedic surgical failure. Pre-existing pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.885; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.305-2.724), initial hospitalization of 8 days or longer (OR, 1.853; 95% CI, 1.223-2.807), and discharge to a skilled nursing facility (OR, 1.586; 95% CI, 1.043-2.413) were determined to be predictors of readmission. Accordingly, patient management should be consistently geared toward optimizing chronic disease states while concomitantly working to minimize the duration of initial hospitalization and decrease readmission rates

Radiologic case study. Dialysis-related amyloidosis.

A 59-year-old woman presented with worsening bilateral hip pain for 6 months. She had been receiving hemodialysis for 12 years.