Common sense treatment for hip fracture

  With the cold and slippery ground in the ninth month, hip fractures in the elderly are at a high risk. Hip fractures include femoral neck fractures and inter-rotor fractures.  The treatment of hip fractures in the elderly is mainly divided into non-surgical and surgical treatment. The choice of treatment plan depends on the patient’s age, systemic status, the condition of combined diseases, the functional status of the patient’s lower limbs before the injury and the morphology of the fracture.  1. Non-surgical treatment: It is mainly suitable for the elderly who are in poor general condition, suffering from heart and lung diseases and other major organs that cannot tolerate surgery, or who cannot stand, walk or even take care of themselves before the injury. The methods include bed rest, continuous skin traction or bone traction on the affected limb, wearing “T” shoes, etc. It usually takes 8-12 weeks, and at the same time, treatment for complications and concomitant diseases of the elderly, active treatment of osteoporosis, and enhanced care and rehabilitation. Regularly review the healing of the fracture on film to decide when to terminate traction and get out of bed.  2.Surgical treatment: Surgery is preferred for any elderly hip fracture that is not contraindicated for surgery. Although surgical treatment has certain risks, a large amount of clinical data shows that non-surgical treatment has a higher morbidity and mortality rate. The purpose of surgical treatment is to shorten the time of bed rest, resume the movement of the affected limb as soon as possible, and reduce the mortality rate and other complications.  For elderly people over 80 years old, total hip replacement (THA) and hemi-hip replacement (Hemi-Hip) are the main treatments for femoral neck fractures, while the only surgical treatment for intertrochanteric fractures is internal fixation of the fracture. There are three types of internal fixation: one is the plate multi-screw fixation system, which includes locking plates; the second is the Dynamic Hip System (DHS); and the third is the intramedullary fixation system, which includes Gamma 3, PFN(A), and InterTan. the current trend is to favor the proximal femoral intramedullary fixation system, which is less invasive ( This fixation system has the advantages of minimal trauma (minimally invasive), firm internal fixation, and quick postoperative recovery to facilitate early ground movement (15-30 days postoperatively), and has been gradually implemented in hospitals across China.  It should be noted that elderly patients are often combined with multiple medical diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular disease, and even pulmonary heart disease or emphysema, etc. The blood viscosity is high, and once the fracture is fractured, they need to be bedridden for a long time, so that bedridden complications such as crushing pneumonia, decubitus ulcer, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and urinary tract infection will follow, which is one of the main causes of death after such fractures. The formation of DVT causes swelling and pain in the lower extremities on the one hand, and the embolus can fall off and cause pulmonary embolism leading to sudden death on the other hand, so it is necessary to do a good job of prevention, firstly, to prevent and control osteoporosis; secondly, to try to achieve three safety: 1. Away from the walkway; equipped with bedside lamps or flashlights; bathroom with handrails, the floor is non-slip, can be placed on the non-slip mat; pay attention to avoid ground objects; adjust the height of the seat and bed, suitable for their own up and sitting.  2.Personal safety: use handrails to go up and down stairs; avoid taking drugs that affect balance (e.g. sedative sleeping pills, allergy medications); do not walk at night in dim places and on roads with standing water; wear shoes that fit your feet; do not wear high heels or L shoes to go out; minimize going out on rainy and snowy days; pay attention to your feet when walking.  3. Daily safety: put common things in easy-to-reach places, avoid climbing high to get things, don’t lift heavy things, and ask for help when you need to pick up or lift objects.