AB164. SOH26AB_0363a. An exploration of factors and outcomes in younger patients with hip fractures: a retrospective study

Background: Clinically relevant outcomes for young patients with neck of the femur fractures are rarely reviewed. However, this could be problematic for younger patients with hip fractures, who differ from geriatric patients regarding their mechanism of injury, psychological profile, and principles of management. As a result, we retrospectively explored the risk factors and outcomes of hip fracture patients aged 65 years or younger.

Methods: This was a retrospective study involving the review of the hip fracture database in Cork University Hospital from 2015 to 2024. It reviewed hip fractures of any type that affected patients aged between 18 and 65 years. The demographic characteristics of the participants, side of fracture, mechanism of injury, type of fracture and surgery, any delays in surgery, and their re-operation rate after 30 days were recorded.

Results: In the study, 4,510 patients were reviewed, and 540 were included for analysis. Here, 14.1% of all hip fractures were in patients aged 65 years or younger. The participants had a mean age of 54.1 years and a mean ASA score of 2.2. The majority had displaced intracapsular fractures, nearly even distribution of fracture side, and a low-energy mechanism of injury. The most common surgery completed was internal fixation, and most had no delays in their surgery. Only five patients required re-operation.

Conclusions: Overall, this study disagreed with prior literature and showed that young patients with hip fractures have good short-term outcomes. However, there are several additional factors that need to be explored, such as patient-reported outcomes and long-term surgical outcomes.

Keywords: Fractured neck of the femur; hip fractures; mechanism of injury; retrospective study; younger patients