Objective: To evaluate the functional recovery and the rehabilitation length of stay after the sequential fracture of both hips in elderly patients.
Design: A total of 372 in-patients with hip fractures consecutively admitted to our rehabilitation hospital were included in this retrospective study. A total of 333 out of 372 were admitted for rehabilitation of their first hip fracture, and the other 39 patients had a second contralateral fracture. The functional recovery was evaluated by the Barthel index. The comparison between the two groups was performed by unpaired t test. Stepwise linear multiple regression analysis was performed, including nine prognostic factors together with the number of hip fractures (first or recurrent) as independent variables and the Barthel index score on discharge as the dependent variable. The statistical analysis was repeated, substituting hospital length of stay for Barthel index.
Results: Both the functional recovery and the length of stay of the patients affected by recurrent fracture were similar to the ones of the patients suffering from a single fracture. Regression analysis showed that the previous hip fracture was associated neither with the Barthel index nor with the length of stay.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that the functional recovery in elderly patients with hip fractures is not significantly influenced by a previous fracture of the contralateral hip and that no significant prolonged rehabilitation length of stay is needed after the recurrent fracture.