Association Between Orthostatic Hypotension and Handgrip Strength With Successful Rehabilitation in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients

Objective: To investigate the relationship between orthostatic hypotension (OH) and muscle strength versus time to successful rehabilitation within elderly patients with hip fracture.

Design: A prospective, observational cohort study. Handgrip strength was measured at the day of admission and OH as soon as possible after surgery. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to investigate the relationship between OH or handgrip strength (kg) and time to successful rehabilitation, expressed as hazard ratios (HRs). OH was defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of >= 20mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of >= 10mmHg after postural change (dichotomous). Handgrip strength was measured with a hand dynamometer (continuous).

Setting: General hospital.

Participants: Patients (N=116) aged >= 70 years with a hip fracture were recruited on the day of hospital admission.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome was time to successful rehabilitation, which was defined as discharge to patients' own homes.

Results: During a median follow-up period of 36 days (interquartile range, 9-57d), 103 patients (89%) were successfully rehabilitated. No statistically significant relationships were found between OH and time to successful rehabilitation (BR= 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI],.67-1.66). Also, handgrip strength and successful rehabilitation were not statistically significantly related (HR=1.03; 95% CI, .99-1.06).

Conclusions: OH measured during the first days of hospitalization is not related to time to successful rehabilitation in patients with hip fracture who have undergone surgery. Although no significant relationship was seen in the present study, the width of the CIs does not exclude a relevant relationship between handgrip strength and time to successful rehabilitation.