Introduction:

Bipolar hemiarthroplasty is an alternative for the treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients with low functional demand and associated comorbidities. The goal was to describe functionality in patients over 65 years of age with intracapsular fractures of the hip.

Material and methods:

Retrospective review of patients over 65 years of age between January 2012 and May 2017. It was evaluated with the Harris Hip Score (HHS) and Oxford scale at six months and the year after surgery. Complications and mortality were documented during the first post-surgical year.

Results:

48 cases (12 men; 36 women), average age of 80.8 ± 7.7 years. Most common diseases: high blood pressure (77.1%), osteoporosis (37.5%), diabetes (33.3%) hypothyroidism (29.2%). The percentage of associated postoperative complications was 8.3% (four cases). The median HHS at six and 12 months was: 90.5 (DE: 77.5-96.0) and 96 (DE: 92-98), respectively. The Oxford scale was 45.5 (DE: 38.5-48.0) at six months and 47.0 (DE: 43.5-48.0) per postoperative year. 4.2% (two cases) died during the first post-surgical year and none were associated with the procedure.

Discussion:

HA provides good functional outcomes in patients over 65 years of age, with a low rate of complications. No mortality associated with the surgical procedure was observed in our series and in the short term.