Integrated hip-fracture model cuts mortality rates

A pioneering medical system in Tianjin has treated nearly 4,500 elderly patients with hip fractures in its inaugural year, signaling a potential shift in how China manages the "last fracture of life".

The Tianjin Elderly Hip Fracture Center reported that more than 40 percent of its patients underwent surgery within the critical 48-hour "golden window" — double the rate recorded in the city a decade ago. Data suggest that the rapid intervention model significantly reduces the 30 percent first-year mortality risk associated with elderly hip fractures.

Xu Weiguo, secretary of the Party committee at Tianjin Hospital, which oversees the center, said the progress stemmed from a multidisciplinary team treatment model pioneered by the hospital, which has addressed critical problems such as slow consultations, delayed surgeries and high complication rates in elderly hip fractures.