• R Smektala, M Wenning, and A Ekkernkamp.
• Abteilung für Unfallchirurgie, Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum Langendreer, Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, In der Schornau 23-25, 44892 Bochum. ruediger.smektala@kk-bochum.de
• Unfallchirurg. 2001 Sep 1; 104 (9): 820-6.

UnlabelledBetween January 1993 and December 1998 26.005 patients with hip fractures underwent treatment in departments of general surgery and traumatology in Westfalia-Lippe, Germany. Data of these patients were reported to the chamber of physicians where a report card system for external quality assurance has been established since 1991. 1.747 patients were between 10 and 60 years of age. Treatment according to the guideline of hip fractures of the German College of Traumatology is compared to treatment in reality.ResultsConservative treatment declined to 2% in 1998; only 43% of these comparetively young patients were labeled as emergencies. Only 45.4% of all osteosyntheses were performed on the day of hospital admission. Almost 30% of the patients undergo hip replacement as first line therapy. Timing of operation is related to the frequency of operations per department and specialisation: the more operations per year the shorter the length of stay before operation. Early treatment is more likely in departments of traumatology than in departments of general surgery. Lethality and morbidity do not increase with early treatment.ConclusionsThe reality of treatment of hip fractures does not meet the criteria of the guideline. Further efforts have to be undertaken for the benefit of relatively young patients with hip fractures.

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