A multi-site review of second hip fractures across 6 Dublin teaching hospitals
- Resource Type
- Original Paper
- Authors
- Downey, Colum; Flannery, Stephen; Murphy, Ben; Daly, Tiarnan; Conway, Sarah; Gaffar, Mohammed; Dawson, Peter; O’Kelly, Patrick; Collins, Denis; Kenny, Paddy; McCarthy, Tom; Cashman, James; Shortt, Conor; O’Daly, Brendan; Hurson, Conor; Quinlan, John
- Source
- Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -). 191(2):759-764
- Subject
- Fracture liaison services
Fracture liaison service database
Hip fracture
Irish hip fracture database
Secondary fracture prevention
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0021-1265
1863-4362
Introduction: Fragility hip fractures are common and costly. Secondary fracture prevention is a treatment goal following hip fracture; however, the number of those that proceed to fracture their contralateral hip in Ireland is unknown. There are plans to introduce a Fracture Liaison Service Database in Ireland which will aim to prevent secondary fractures. To establish a baseline figure for secondary hip fractures, the injury radiographs of 1284 patients from 6 teaching hospitals over a 1-year period were reviewed.Methods: Irish Hip Fracture Datasheets and corresponding injury radiographs were reviewed locally for all hip fractures within each respective teaching hospital for a 1-year period (2019).Results: A total of 8.7% of all fragility hip fractures across the 6 hospitals were secondary hip fractures (range 4.9–11.5%). 46% occurred within years 1 to 3 following index hip fracture. Forty-eight per cent of patients were started on bone protection medications following their second hip fracture.Discussion/Conclusion: Approximately 1 in 11 hip fractures treated across the 6 teaching hospitals assessed in 2019 was a patient’s second hip fracture. We advocate for the widespread availability of Fracture Liaison Services to patients throughout Ireland to assist secondary fracture prevention.