Role of nutritional supplementation in elderly patients with hip fractures

Due to the ageing population there is an increasing incidence of hip fractures in the elderly. Oral nutritional supplements are being widely used to improve clinical outcomes and mortality post-hip fractures. The aim of this study was to review the available literature on the effects of oral nutritional supplements on elderly patients with hip fractures. A search of EMBASE (1988–present) and MEDLINE (1946–present) with the search terms: “nutritional supplement” AND “hip fracture”; “nutritional supplement” AND “femoral neck fracture”; “nutritional supplement” AND “intertrochanteric fracture”; “nutritional supplement” AND “subcapital fracture”; “hip fracture” AND “vitamin supplement”; “hip fracture” AND “protein supplement”; “hip fracture” AND “nutrient supplement” was carried out. Additionally, the reference lists of articles were searched for relevant areas of study. Few studies showed that oral nutritional supplementation led to a more positive clinical outcome amongst elderly patients suffering hip fractures. Most studies found little or nil positive results. Thus, the role of oral nutritional supplementation on post-hip fracture mortality, infection/complication rates, and hospitalisation/rehabilitation time amongst elderly patients is unclear. There is a need for a broader, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the effect of oral nutritional supplements and particularly on the supplements used commonly.