The Effect of Waiting Time for Surgery after Hip Fractures and the Covid-19 Pandemic on Mortality

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine whether the timing of surgery in our elderly patients with a
diagnosis of hip fracture changed before and after the pandemic, and whether this situation caused an
increase in mortality .
Patients and Methods: The patients who were operated with the diagnosis of hip fracture between March
2019 and March 2020 in our hospital database were accepted as in the pre-pandemic period, and the
patients who were operated with the diagnosis of hip fracture between April 2020 and April 2021 were
considered as in pandemic period. Both groups were statistically compared in terms of age, gender,
waiting time for surgery , length of hospital stay and one year mortality .
Results: When the factors af fecting mortality were examined, the time elapsed until surgery significantly
increased mortality. While the mean waiting time for surgery was 27.6±19.4 hours in all patients, it was
25.7±19.1 hours in Group 1 and 29.6±19.6 hours in Group 2 and there was a significant difference between
the two groups (p=0.043). The cut-off value of the waiting time for surgery, which caused mortality, was
determined as “23.35” hours. While no significant increase in mortality was found in Group 1 (p=0.340),
the increased delay for surgery in Group 2 affected mortality significantly (p=0.027).
Conclusion: In this study, it was found that the increase in the delay of admission for surgery over 23.35
hours in the elderly population after hip fractures was directly associated with one year of mortality
and also we think that the waiting time for surgery in the pandemic conditions is one of the factors that
negatively af fect mortality in these patients.