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In patients with hip fractures, the consensus is to proceed to surgery as soon as possible — preferably within 24 hours. However, previous research on this approach has produced both positive and negative results. To better define risk associated with delays, researchers enrolled more than 2000 consecutive patients (age, ≥65) with hip fractures and monitored time to surgery, reasons for delays, mortality, and complication rates. The study was conducted at a hospital in Spain with a specialized hip-fracture unit.
The median time to surgery was 72 hours, and 65% of patients underwent surgery >48 hours after admission. Reasons for delays included lack of operating room time (61%), need to withhold antiplatelet treatment (17%), clinical instabil…