Roughly half of all hip fractures are within the hip joint capsule (intracapsular) and the rest occur outside the hip joint capsule (extracapsular). Nowadays, most of these fractures will be surgically fixed or stabilised using metal implants. However, some patients have conservative treatment which can involve traction, bed rest or restricted mobilisation.
The five randomised trials included in the review involved only 428 elderly patients. One small and potentially biased trial of 23 patients with undisplaced intracapsular fracture provided limited evidence that surgical fixation increased the chances of the fracture healing. The four trials on extracapsular fractures tested a variety of surgical techniques and implant devices and only one trial involving 106 patients can be considered to test current practice. This trial found no major difference between surgery and traction for people with extracapsular fractures. However, people who had surgery had better anatomical outcomes, tended to leave hospital sooner, and seemed less likely to lose their independence.
The review concluded that overall there was insufficient evidence to determine if surgery is better than bed rest and traction for the two categories of hip fractures tested in randomised trials. However, nowadays most people with hip fracture are treated surgically where it is safe to do so. This reflects advances in surgery and anaesthesia and a clearer understanding of the benefits of early mobilisation and of the risks of prolonged hospital stay.
閱讀完整摘要
Until operative treatment involving the use of various implants was introduced in the 1950s, hip fractures were managed using conservative methods based on traction and bed rest.
目的
To compare conservative with operative treatment for fractures of the proximal femur (hip) in adults.
搜尋策略
We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register (March 2008), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 1), MEDLINE (1966 to 2008), EMBASE (1988 to 2008), Current Controlled Trials, orthopaedic journals, conference proceedings and reference lists of articles.
選擇標準
Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing these two treatment methods in adults with hip fracture.
資料收集與分析
Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Additional information was sought from trialists. After grouping by fracture type, comparable groups of trials were subgrouped by implant type and data were pooled where appropriate using the fixed-effect model.
主要結果
The five randomised trials included in the review involved only 428 elderly patients. One small and potentially biased trial of 23 patients with undisplaced intracapsular fracture showed a reduced risk of non-union for those fractures treated operatively. The four trials on extracapsular fractures tested a variety of surgical techniques and implant devices and only one trial involving 106 patients can be considered to test current practice. In this trial, no differences were found in medical complications, mortality and long-term pain. However, operative treatment was more likely to result in the fracture healing without leg shortening, a shorter hospital stay and a statistically non-significant increase in the return of patients back to their original residence.
作者結論
Although there is a lack of available evidence to inform practice for undisplaced intracapsular fractures, variation in practice has reduced and most fractures are treated surgically. The limited available evidence from randomised trials does not suggest major differences in outcome between conservative and operative management programmes for extracapsular femoral fractures, but operative treatment is associated with a reduced length of hospital stay and improved rehabilitation. Conservative treatment will be acceptable where modern surgical facilities are unavailable, and will result in a reduction in complications associated with surgery, but rehabilitation is likely to be slower and limb deformity more common. Currently, it is difficult to conceive circumstances in which future trials would be practical or viable.
