Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2740056 | Journal of Orthopaedic Translation | 2014 | 9 Pages |
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.