Why the study?
What are the risk factors, financial costs, and outcomes associated with deep or superficial wound infections after hip fracture surgery?
What are the risk factors, financial costs, and outcomes associated with deep or superficial wound infections after hip fracture surgery?
Wound infections after hip fracture surgery, particularly those caused by MRSA, significantly increase mortality, length of stay, and healthcare costs.
Infection after hip fracture surgery was associated with doubled one-year mortality; hypothesis-generating for prevention trials.
Prospective data on hip fracture from 3686 patients at a United Kingdom teaching hospital were analysed to investigate the risk factors, financial costs and outcomes associated with deep or superficial wound infections after hip fracture surgery. In 1.2% (41) of patients a deep wound infection developed, and 1.1% (39) had a superficial wound infection. A total of 57 of 80 infections (71.3%) were due to Staphylococcus aureus and 39 (48.8%) were due to MRSA. No statistically significant pre-operative risk factors were detected. Length of stay, cost of treatment and pre-discharge mortality all significantly increased with deep wound infection. The one-year mortality was 30%, and this increased to 50% in those who developed an infection (p < 0.001). A deep infection resulted in doubled operative costs, tripled investigation costs and quadrupled ward costs. MRSA infection increased costs, length of stay, and pre-discharge mortality compared with non-MRSA infection.
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Edwards et al. (2008) studied this question.