Differences in mortality after fracture of hip

BMJ 1995;311:571 (26 August)

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Differences in mortality after fracture of hip

Doubt remains over anticoagulant prophylaxis for deep venousthrombosis

EDITOR,--Anticoagulant prophylaxis may reduce the incidenceof venous thromboembolism in hospital, but C J Todd and colleagues'study does not dispel doubts about its overall effect on mortality.¹There was no significant difference between the survival rateat 90 days (82.2% at the four hospitals that routinely gavesuch prophylaxis (to 79.5% of patients)) and 82.0% at the otherfour hospitals (prophylaxis given to only 16.1%) despite thefact that 62.3% of patients in the former hospitals had surgerywithin 24 hours (favourable to outcome) compared with only 50%in the latter (P<0.01, {chi} ² test). Hospital 4, which gave prophylaxisto the highest proportion of patients (91%), showed joint lowest90 day survival (76%). In hospitals 5 and 8, in which only 10.5%of patients were given prophylaxis, 83% survived despite 4%dying of pulmonary embolism. None of the 13 patients diagnosed. . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Differences in mortality after fracture of hip: the East Anglian audit: C J Todd, C J Freeman, C Camilleri-Ferrante, C R Palmer, A Hyder, C E Laxton, M J Parker, B V Payne, and N Rushton
BMJ 1995 310: 904-908. [Abstract] [Full Text]