Sharma's risk assessment score as a decision making tool to decide between total hip arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty as a treatment option for elderly patients with fracture neck of femur. A prospective observational study

Purpose: The decision to do a total hip arthroplasty (THA) or a hemiarthroplasty (HA) in an elderly with a fracture neck of femur (FNOF) is commonly based upon the surgeon's preference, pre-anesthetic fitness, hospital setup, and intensive care backup. The author devised a Sharma's risk assessment score (SRAS), based upon all the common factors that affect the surgical outcomes following FNOF in the elderly, to help orthopedic surgeons decide between THA or HA as a treatment for FNOF. Material & methods: It was a prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary-level institute. SRAS is based upon 10 parameters with each parameter having a max score of 4 and a minimum score of 1. So the maximum score a patient can score is 40 and the minimum a patient can score is 10. It was hypothesized that a patient with FNOF with a preop SRAS score >20 if subjected to a (HA) and a patient with a preop SRAS score <= 20 if subjected to a (THA) would have better outcomes and low complication rates. Out of Eighty-eight patients with FNOF, 7 were lost to follow-up. The remaining 81 patients with FNOF were prospectively followed between May 2018 and May 2022 and segregated into two groups THA (n = 47) and HA(n = 34) based on the SRAS. Results: The average length of follow-up was 2.6 years (6 months-4 years). The average SRAS was an average 25.7(21-32) in the HA group and 16.2 (11-20) in the THA group. Complications were seen in 12.7 % of the THA group and 17.6 % of the HA group. We had a 2.1 % 90-day mortality in the THA group and a 2.9 % 90-day mortality in the HA group. One year mortality in THA was 2.1 % and it was increased to 5.8 % in the HA group. Conclusion: SRAS is a useful decision-making tool that would guide surgeons to decide between THA or HA as a treatment option for elderly FNOF and would help minimize post-operative complications and reduce mortality. Level 3 study: Prospective observational study.