Early surgery, rehab improve hip outcomes

Patients who undergo surgery within two days of hip fractures and receive more than five therapy sessions a week showed better outcomes than did other elderly hip fracture patients, according to a recent study.

Physicians at the Durham (NC) VA Medical Center found that early surgical repair resulted in a shorter hospital stay and that high-frequency physical therapy and occupational therapy resulted in earlier ambulation, which "predicted community return and length of stay and was associated with fewer complications and greater six-month survival."

Helen Hoenig, MD, who led the study, reports her findings in the March issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.