Factors Associated With Hip Fracture Length of Stay Among Older Adults in a Community Hospital Setting

Hip fractures in geriatric populations constitute a heavy burden on the healthcare system. The study goal was to identify patient, hospital, and surgical factors associated with hospital length of stay (LOS) for geriatric patients with hip fractures requiring surgical intervention in a community hospital setting. This was a cross-sectional retrospective chart review of geriatric hip fractures that underwent surgical fixation at a community hospital between 2017 and 2019. The scope of the surgeries was limited to cephalomedullary device fixation or hemiarthroplasty hip fracture surgeries. Sliding hip screw or total hip arthroplasty procedures and patients who died during the index hospitalization were excluded. Median tests were conducted to examine differences between the groups. Unadjusted and adjusted truncated negative binomial regression models were used to examine the factors associated with LOS. Bivariate analyses revealed results that the factors associated with a longer LOS were preoperative anemia (P = 0.029), blood transfusion (P = 0.022), and the number of days between admission and surgery (P = 0.001). The adjusted regression model results suggested that older patients, patients who underwent surgery more than one day after admission, current smokers, malnourished patients, patients with sepsis, and patients with a history of a thromboembolic event had statistically significant (P < 0.05) longer LOS. However, patients who live in institutions (nursing homes or assisted living) had a shorter LOS than those who live at home alone or with family (P < 0.05). Older adult patients who underwent surgery with a cephalomedullary device or hip hemiarthroplasty for a hip fracture and had preoperative anemia, postoperative blood transfusions, and increased days between admission and surgery had a longer LOS. Additional factors positively associated with a longer LOS included current smokers, malnourishment, admission with sepsis, and patients with a history of a thromboembolic event. Of interest, institutionalized patients had a shorter LOS than those living at home alone or with family.