Hip Fracture Flashcards
Why is hip fracture such a significant injury?
it is the most common injury in elderly people and the commonest reason they will need to undergo emergency surgery
What are the mortality risks associated with hip fracture?
10% within 1 month
30% within 1 year
most deaths are not due to the fracture itself, but due to underlying comorbidities
What is the definition of a hip fracture?
fracture of the femur distal to the femoral head and proximal to a level 5cm below the lesser trochanter
Label the components of the pelvis and femur
What is the definition of the hip joint?
a multi-axial ball and socket joint between the femoral head and the acetabulum
What helps to stabilise the hip joint?
muscles and ligaments
Label the muscles and the ligaments around the hip joint
What is the role of the femoral neck?
it connects the femoral head to the proximal femoral shaft and attaches to the intertrochanteric region
What is the main function of the greater and lesser trochanters?
they are sites for muscle attachment
what is the blood supply to the hip joint?
What can happen if it is disrupted?
medial and lateral circumflex femoral arteries
disruption of the blood supply to the head and neck of the femur can impair fracture healing
this can lead to avascular necrosis
What nerves are present in the hip region?
- femoral nerve
- obturator nerve
- superior gluteal nerve
- nerve to quadratus femoris
How can hip fractures be classified?
Intracapsular:
this is within the joint at the level of the neck of the femur
Extracapsular:
this is below the neck of the femur (outside the hip capsule)
this can be intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric
In which 4 situations is a hip fracture suspected?
- in the elderly
- falls
- high mechanism trauma - tends to be in younger patients
- osteoporosis
What is the mechanism of injury of hip fracture during a fall?
- falling directly onto the lateral hip
- a twisting action when falling
- a sudden spontaneous fracture which causes a fall (insufficiency fracture)
What is an insufficiency fracture?
severe osteoporosis causes the bone to spontaneously break
this then causes a fall
underlying bone metastases in bone cancer can also cause spontaenous fractures
Why is it important to determine the cause of why someone might have fell?
the occurrence of falls and fractures often signal underlying ill health
the underlying cause needs to be identified and treated
What are the 5 areas that must be covered when taking a history of a fall/hip fracture?
- mechanism of injury - before, during and after the fall
- collateral history - this is a history from another person if the elderly person cannot recount it themselves
- past medical and surgical history
- medication history
- social history