Failed internal fixations for trochanteric fractures have a strong negative impact owing to increased postoperative mortality and high medical costs. However, evidence on the prognostic value of postoperative radiographic findings for failed internal fixations is limited. We aimed to clarify the association between comprehensive immediate postoperative radiographic findings and failed internal fixation using relative and absolute risk measures. We followed the meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology guidelines and the Cochrane handbook. We searched specific databases in November 2021. The outcomes of interest were failed internal fixation and cut-out. We pooled the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using a random-effects model and calculated the number needed to harm for each outcome. Thirty-six studies involving 8938 patients were included. The certainty of evidence in the association between postoperative radiographic findings and failed internal fixation or cut-out was mainly low or very low except for the association between intramedullary malreduction on the anteromedial cortex and failed internal fixation. Moderate certainty of evidence supported that intramedullary malreduction on the anteromedial cortex was associated with failed internal fixation. Most postoperative radiographic findings on immediate postoperative radiographs for trochanteric fractures were uncertain as prognostic factors for failed internal fixations.

Previous literature has provided conflicting results regarding the associations between early surgery and postoperative outcomes in elderly patients with distal femur fractures. Using data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database from April 2014 to March 2019, we identified elderly patients who underwent surgery for distal femur fracture within two days of hospital admission (early surgery group) or at three or more days after hospital admission (delayed surgery group). Of 9678 eligible patients, 1384 (14.3%) were assigned to the early surgery group. One-to-one propensity score matched analyses showed no significant difference in 30-day mortality between the early and delayed groups (0.5% versus 0.5%; risk difference, 0.0%; 95% confidence interval, −0.7% to 0.7%). Patients in the early surgery group had significantly lower proportions of the composite outcome (death or postoperative complications), shorter hospital stays, and lower total hospitalization costs than patients in the delayed surgery group. Our results showed that early surgery within two days of hospital admission for geriatric distal femur fracture was not associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality but was associated with reductions in postoperative complications and total hospitalization costs.

The characteristics of 90 cases of acute subdural hematoma were analyzed in 25 patients taking medication related to bleeding tendency, the bleeding tendency group, and 65 patients without such medication, the control group. Acute subdural hematoma was significantly associated with over-turning or without accident in the bleeding tendency group (92%) compared with the control group (56.9%). The time from trauma to admission was significantly longer in the bleeding tendency group (32.7 hours) compared with the control group (9.7 hours). The mean Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was 13.0 points in the bleeding tendency group and was significantly better than 10.9 points in the control group. The international normalized ratio of prothrombin time on admission was 3.59 in the patients treated with warfarin. All patients taking warfarin received reversal agents and this value decreased significantly to 1.38. In the bleeding tendency group, hematoma size increased in 20% after the operation, almost the same as in the control group (25%). Although good recovery tended to be observed less frequently in the bleeding tendency group than in the control group, the mean age of the bleeding tendency group was significantly higher than that of the control group, so the prognosis might be affected by this age-related factor. Cautious diagnosis, follow-up imaging, and strict management are mandatory in patients with bleeding tendency.