OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of diagnosed traumatic brain injury (TBI) in individuals hospitalized with hip fracture and examine its association with all-cause mortality.
DESIGN: Nested cohort study. SETTING: National sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2006 to 2010. PARTICIPANTS: Beneficiaries aged 65 and older hospitalized with hip fracture. MEASUREMENTS: TBI at the time of hip fracture was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. The main outcome was all-cause mortality during follow-up.
RESULTS: Prevalence of TBI in individuals with hip fracture was 2.7%. Absolute risk of mortality attributable to TBI in individuals with hip fracture was 15/100 person-years. TBI was significantly associated with risk of death in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio=1.24, 95% confidence interval=1.14-1.35).
CONCLUSION: TBI was associated with greater risk of mortality in individuals with hip fracture. Practitioners should consider evaluating for presence of TBI in this vulnerable population.