Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute total hip arthroplasty (THA) may be an alternative or an adjuvant to internal fixation for surgical treatment of acetabular fractures. We investigate recent trends in the operative management of acetabular fractures. We hypothesize that the incidence of acute THA for acetabular fractures has increased over time. METHODS: 4569 middle-aged (45-64 years) and older adults (≥ 65 years) who received acute operative management of an acetabular fracture within 3 weeks of admission between 2010 and 2020 were identified from the United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Treatment was classified as open reduction internal fixation (ORIF), THA, or combined ORIF and THA (ORIF + THA). Patients were stratified by age ≥ 65 years old. Associations between demographic factors and the incidence of each procedure over the study period were modeled using linear regression. RESULTS: The relative incidence of treatments was 80.9% ORIF, 12.1% THA, and 7.0% ORIF + THA. Among patients aged 45-64 years old, THA increased 4.8% [R(2) = 0.62; β(1) = 0.6% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.2-0.9%)] and ORIF + THA increased 2.6% [R(2) = 0.73; β(1) = 0.3% (95% CI 0.2-0.4%)], while the use of ORIF decreased 7.4% [R(2) = 0.75; β(1) = -0.9% (95% CI -1.2 to -0.5%)]. Among patients ≥ 65 years old, THA increased 16.5% [R(2) = 0.87; β(1) = 1.7% (95% CI 1.2-2.2%)] and ORIF + THA increased 5.0% [R(2) = 0.38, β(1) = 0.6% (95% CI 0.0-1.3%)], while ORIF decreased 21.5% [R(2) = 0.75; β(1) = -2.4% (95% CI -3.45 to -1.3%)]. CONCLUSION: The treatment of acetabular fractures with acute THA has increased in the last decade, particularly among older adults.