Reasons for Surgical Delay in Patients With Hip Fracture

Introduction: 15% of patients with hip fracture older than 65 years in Israel have delayed surgery. The aim of this study was to determine which patient and/or organizational factors are associated with a delay of beyond 48 hours in hip fracture repair surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 281 patients with hip fracture who underwent surgery during 2019-2020. Characteristics of patients with early surgery (n = 40) and patients with delayed surgery (n = 241) were compared. Results: Presence of a cardiac disease (odds ratio [OR] = 1.38), pulmonary disease (OR = 1.21), or obesity (OR = 1.18) was identified as risk factors for surgical delay. Each additional comorbidity increased the risk. Most of the documented reasons for delay were medical, with antiplatelet therapy the most common (n = 8, 20%). Unavailable operating rooms were another common reason for delays (n = 8, 20%). In addition, a higher percentage of patients with delayed surgery were admitted in August and September (42.5%). Conclusions: It seems that most delays were for medical reasons. However, it is unclear whether allegedly clinically justified delays were indeed of benefit to the patients. Health care organizations should strive to minimize the impact of organizational factors on surgical delay.