Preoperative Factors Predicting Failure of Hemiarthroplasty after Displaced Subcapital Fractured Neck of Femur in the Active Elderly

Abstract

Hip fractures are a common problem in Australia and are associated with high mortality and morbidity [1]. Only one third of patients who survive a hip fracture return to previous levels of independence, fifty percent require long-term help with routine activities and a further twenty-five percent require high level care [1]. Careful consideration for definitive treatment of these fractures is essential to avoid the burden associated with unnecessary revision. The optimal surgical treatment of extracapsular fractures is well established and involves internal fixation [2-5].