Factors influencing survival following fractures of the upper end of the femur

Patients undergoing treatment for fractures of the upper end of the femur in a district general hospital over a 2-year period were analysed to identify preoperative illness, operative factors or postoperative complications associated with increased mortality. Both the mean age and mortality rate were higher than in many other reported series. The elderly diabetic was identified as a particularly high-risk patient. Dislocation following hemiarthroplasty was associated with advanced age and carried a formidable mortality.