• Michael G Zywiel, Richard T Hurley, Anthony V Perruccio, Rebecca L Hancock-Howard, Peter C Coyte, and Y Raja Rampersaud.
• Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, 399 Bathurst Street, 1E441, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada. E-mail address for M.G. Zywiel: mike@zywiel.net. E-mail address for Y.R. Rampersaud: raja.rampersaud@uhn.ca.
• J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2015 May 20;97(10):829-36.

BackgroundPatients who experience a fragility hip fracture are at high risk for perioperative delirium. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact, from a hospital perspective, of perioperative delirium on the length of the hospital stay and episode-of-care costs for elderly patients who underwent surgical treatment of a fragility hip fracture.MethodsA total of 242 patients sixty-five years of age or older (mean age, eighty-two years; range, sixty-five to 103 years) who underwent surgical treatment of a fragility hip fracture at a single center between January 2011 and December 2012 were evaluated. Demographic, clinical, surgical, and adverse-events data were extracted and analyzed. The confusion assessment method (CAM) was used prospectively to detect perioperative delirium.ResultsOne hundred and sixteen (48%) of the 242 patients developed perioperative delirium during their stay in the hospital. Compared with patients with no delirium, delirium was associated with a mean incremental total length of hospital stay of 7.4 days (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.7 to 11.2 days; p < 0.001), a mean incremental length of stay following surgery of 7.4 days (95% CI = 3.8 to 11.1 days; p < 0.001), and a mean incremental episode-of-care cost (in 2012 Canadian dollars) of $8286 (95% CI = $3690 to $12,881; p < 0.001). The total incremental episode-of-care cost attributable to delirium over the study period was $961,131 in 2012 Canadian dollars.ConclusionsNearly 50% of elderly patients who underwent surgery for a fragility hip fracture developed perioperative delirium, which was associated with a significant incremental in-hospital length of stay and significant incremental episode-of-care costs. These findings highlight the importance of implementing cost-effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of perioperative delirium in elderly patients with a low-energy hip fracture.Copyright © 2015 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

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