WEIGHT-BEARING AFTER HIP FRACTURE - A PROSPECTIVE SERIES OF 596 GERIATRIC HIP FRACTURE PATIENTS

Five hundred ninety-six patients age greater than or equal to 65 with femoral neck or intertrochanteric fractures were allowed immediate unr estricted weight bearing after surgery and were prospectively followed . Follow-up data and hospital records were examined to identify those patients who required additional hip surgery owing to failure of fixat ion, nonunion, osteonecrosis, or prosthetic dislocation. Four hundred seventy-three patients were available for 1-year minimum follow-up; 16 patients (3.4%) required additional hip surgery. The revision surgery rate after intertrochanteric fracture due to loss of fixation was 2.9 %. The revision surgery rate after internal fixation of the femoral ne ck from loss of fixation/nonunion was 5.3%; the revision rate from ost eonecrosis for patients with 2-year follow-up was 5.4%. The revision r ate after hemiarthroplasty due to prosthetic dislocation was 0.6%. The se results support the use of unrestricted weight bearing in elderly p atients after hip fracture surgery.