# Association between preoperative anaemia and one year mortality risk in older patients undergoing femoral neck fracture surgery: an observational study

## TL;DR

This study finds that preoperative anemia in older patients undergoing femoral neck fracture surgery is linked to a higher risk of death within one year.

## Contribution

The study identifies moderate to severe preoperative anemia as an independent risk factor for one-year mortality after femoral neck fracture surgery in older adults.

## Key findings

- 71.1% of patients had preoperative anemia, with moderate to severe cases at 22.2%.
- Moderate to severe anemia was independently associated with a 3.18 times higher one-year mortality risk.
- Higher BMI and red blood cell count were linked to lower mortality risk.

## Abstract

This research was designed to explore the incidence of anaemia before surgery and the rate of mortality one year after surgery for femoral neck fractures in older adults. It also investigated whether anaemia prior to surgery influences the likelihood of mortality within one year after the procedure.

A retrospective cohort analysis was undertaken at Honghui Hospital, a tertiary academic medical institution affiliated with Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. This investigation included elderly individuals who underwent surgery for femoral neck fractures within the year spanning from January to December 2021. The research team gathered data encompassing demographic details, levels of haemoglobin prior to surgery, existing comorbid conditions, and mortality statistics after one year.

In this retrospective study, 994 patients were analyzed, with 84 reported fatalities. The incidence of anaemia in this group was 71.1%, affecting 707 individuals. Of these, 486 (48.8%) had mild anaemia, and 221 (22.2%) exhibited moderate to severe anaemia. Independent factors correlating with heightened one-year mortality risk included operative blood transfusions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, p = 0.0327), coronary artery disease presence (OR = 1.85, p = 0.0077), and moderate to severe anaemia (OR = 3.18, p = 0.0006). In contrast, higher body mass index (OR = 0.8, p < 0.0001) and red blood cell count (OR = 0.6, p = 0.0253) were linked to reduced one-year mortality risk. Multivariate logistic regression analyses underscored the independent association of moderate to severe anaemia with increased one-year mortality risk, with varying ORs across models: non-adjusted OR at 3.18 (p = 0.0006), Adjust I model OR at 3.08 (p = 0.0191), and Adjust II model OR at 2.96 (p = 0.0278).

At Honghui Hospital, affiliated with Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, anemia has been identified as a common condition among elderly patients undergoing surgery for femoral neck fractures, and it significantly contributes to an elevated risk of mortality within one year post-surgery. It is advisable to implement interventions aimed at managing anaemia before surgery, which should include setting haemoglobin thresholds that are not specific to any gender for its diagnosis.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00264-025-06521-4.