Fracture admission trends in England over a ten-year period

Abstract

Introduction Fractures are a common reason for admission to hospital around the world. Varying incidences have been reported but these are mainly based on small studies from individual centres. The aim of our study was to analyse fracture admissions in England over a ten-year period. Methods Data were collated from the Hospital Episodes Statistics database. Since 2004, data have been collected for all admitted patients in England using the International Classification of Diseases codes for the primary diagnosis. Data were analysed for the ten-year period between 2004–2005 and 2013–2014. Results There were 2,489,052 fracture admissions in England over the 10-year study period. The risk of admission for fracture was 47.84 per 10,000 population. The rate of fracture admission has remained stable. Hip fractures were the most common fracture requiring hospitalisation (n=641,263), followed by distal radius fractures (n=406,313), ankle fractures (n=332,617) and hand fractures (n=244,013). Hip fractures accounted for 58% of hospital bed days, ankle fractures for 10%, and femoral shaft fractures and subtrochanteric femoral fractures for 5% each. The number of bed days per year for hip fractures has reduced from 1,549,939 bed days in 2004–2005 to 1,319,642 in 2013–2014. Conclusions This study provides an updated picture of the incidence of fractures that required hospital admission over a ten-year period in England. It may be used as a platform from which the effect of modern patient treatment pathways can be monitored.

Anaesthesia for hip fracture repair

“…1e3 Hip fractures are the commonest reason for older people to require emergency surgery, are the type of fracture most likely to require hospital admission, and account for more orthopaedic trauma bed days than all other fractures combined. 1,4 Disorders of cognition are common in patients with hip fracture, with 30% having severe cognitive impairment before surgery.…”

Principles and guidelines in the management of ankle fractures in adults

“…Ankle fractures are common, representing 14% of all fractures requiring hospitalisation (Jennison & Brinsden 2019). Between 2004-05 and 2013-14, there were 332,617 hospital admissions in England due to ankle fractures, accounting for 10% of hospital bed stays (Jennison & Brinsden 2019).…”

“…Ankle fractures are common, representing 14% of all fractures requiring hospitalisation (Jennison & Brinsden 2019). Between 2004-05 and 2013-14, there were 332,617 hospital admissions in England due to ankle fractures, accounting for 10% of hospital bed stays (Jennison & Brinsden 2019). Ankle fractures affect the lateral malleolus in 55% of cases and commonly occur due to sports injuries in adolescents (22%) or low-energy falls in later years (61%) (Elsoe et al 2018).…”

Co-producing a multi-stakeholder Core Outcome Set for distal Tibia and Ankle fractures (COSTA): a study protocol

“…Fractures are a common problem with incidence rates in the UK reported to be 73.3 per 10,000 in adults aged 18–49 years, increasing to 116.3 per 10,000 in adults aged 50+ years [ 1 ]. Recent evidence indicates that 14% of hospital fracture admissions in England were for distal tibia and ankle fractures [ 2 ]. Lower-limb fractures are associated with both short and long-term disability and pain [ 3 , 4 ].…”