Red cell distribution width and mortality in patients with hip fracture treated with partial prosthesis

This study aimed to determine the relationship between red cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality in patients that received a partial hip prosthesis. The study included 316 patients (183 female and 133 male) that underwent surgery due to hip fracture and were followed up for ≥1 year. Mean age of the male and female patients was 77.50 years (range; 65-95) and 78.23 years (range; 65-100), respectively. The relationship between the RDW level at the time of presentation and mortality was evaluated. There was a significant relationship between mortality, and age (median age for man 77.50 and for woman 78.23) trochanteric fracture, and a high RDW level (>14.5%). In patients with these 3 characteristics the mortality rate was 2.8-fold higher than in the other patients. RDW is a parameter measured via routine blood testing. We think that RDW measurement should be used in the planning of the treatment of hip fractures and in scoring systems used to estimate post-operative mortality.