Complications following surgical treatment of ankle fractures in the elderly: can they be avoided?

Background Following surgical treatment of ankle fractures, geriatric patients face high complication rates (CR) in literature. Commonly used diagnostic and treatment algorithms fail to consider requirements of ageing patients which increases the risk of postoperative complications. Objective Present study critically evaluated surgical management of ankle fractures in patients over 65 years old, with focus on identifying modifiable risk factors and effective comorbidity management strategies. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-center study on patients who underwent surgical treatment of an ankle fracture. Based on their age, participants were divided into non-geriatric patients (NGP<65y) and geriatric patients (GP >= 65y). We analyzed overall CR and number of minor and major complications in relation to timing of surgery, biological sex, injury pattern, osteosynthesis, pre-existing medical conditions, and postoperative care. Results 402 patients were included. GP encountered significantly higher overall (p<0.001), minor (p<0.001) and major (p=0.003) complications. They presented more complex, displaced and open fractures. Predominant factor contributing to higher CR in NGP and markedly in GP was concomitant diseases, presenting a strong OR of 19,290 (p<0.001) and 17,022 (p<0.001). Delaying surgery and managing comorbidities preoperatively had a favorable impact. Conclusion We revealed a high significant correlation between pre-existing medical conditions and postoperative results. To ascertain viability of delayed surgery in facilitating additional diagnostics and treatment of comorbidities, further comparative trials with a larger cohort are imperative.