Hip Fracture

Related Resources • Understand Fractures • Other Hip Conditions    From Other Guides • Hip Replacement • Anticoagulant Medication    Elsewhere on the Web • Hip Anatomy • Joint Replacement Information

By: Jonathan Cluett, M.D.
01/2001

Former President Ronald Reagan sustained a hip fracture, a common injury in elderly patients, on January 12. Mr. Reagan, who will be 90 on February 6th, fell in his Santa Monica, California home, and was transported to St. John's Health Center on Friday afternoon. Surgery on the former President's hip will take place on Saturday morning.

Hip fractures are a common, but serious injury. Most often seen in elderly individuals, about 300,000 Americans sustain a hip fracture every year. Broken hips are the most common fracture requiring hospitalization. While surgery to repair a hip fracture is not itself a complicated procedure, people who sustain this injury face a difficult recovery. The mortality rate following a hip fracture in this age group is around 25% within one year. Elderly patients who have broken hips need extensive therapy and rehabilitation that can demand too much from an already frail individual. Common problems these patients face include blood clots, pneumonia, infections, and post-operative confusion and depression.

Treatments for hip fractures depend on several factors, including the age of the patient, the location and type of fracture, and other medical problems the patient may have. Treatment options almost always involve some type of surgery. Bone healing, particularly in elderly patients, takes a long time. Without adequate repair of a hip fracture, a patient would be confined to their bed, and not able to resume their previous activities. The goal of surgical repair of a hip fracture is to get patients moving again as soon as possible in an effort to avoid complications associated with bed rest (i.e. pneumonia, blood clots) and to give the patients the opportunity to resume their daily activities.

For more information about hip fractures:

• Hip Fracture Basics

• Hip Fracture Treatments

• Understanding Fractures