Hemiarthroplasty or Internal Fixation in Intertrochanteric Fractures? Let's Ask the Caregivers

Objective: Intertrochanteric femur fractures (ITFs) in the elderly are most often treated with internal fixation or hemiarthroplasty. The contribution of caregivers in the recovery process of these patients is also important. Previous studies have generally examined these two treatment options on the basis of their functional results in patients. This study aimed to compare the two procedures in terms of their effects on patients' caregivers. Methods: This prospective study included caregivers of patients with ITFs between May 2021 and April 2022. Caregivers were categorized into two groups according to the received treatment: those who underwent hemiarthroplasty and those who received internal fixation. The Zarit Caregiving Burden Interview (ZBI) was used to evaluate and compare the burden score of the caregivers between groups at the beginning and end of the study. Results: Caregivers of 120 patients who underwent hemiarthroplasty (60) and internal fixation (60) were included in the study. The time to the first mobilization of the hemiarthroplasty group was significantly shorter than that of the internal fixation (p<0.001). Caregivers in both groups had a significant increase in ZBI values at 6-month follow-up visits (p<0.01) There was no statistically significant difference between the pre-operative and postoperative 6th month scores and the amount of increase between groups (p=0.178, 0.629, 0.372, respectively). Conclusion: Compared with the pre-operative period, caregiver burden increased significantly in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the changes in caregiver burden. The type of surgery performed has no impact on caregiver burden.