Any infection among patients with hip fracture: Predictive ability of Charlson, Elixhauser, Rx-Risk, and Nordic comorbidity indices

TY - JOUR

T1 - Any infection among patients with hip fracture

T2 - Predictive ability of Charlson, Elixhauser, Rx-Risk, and Nordic comorbidity indices

AU - Storbjerg, Dorete K

AU - Gadgaard, Nadia R

AU - Pedersen, Alma B

PY - 2024/2

Y1 - 2024/2

N2 - BACKGROUND: In studies on infection after hip fracture surgery, a common and serious complication, it remains unknown which comorbidity index is best for case-mix confounder adjustment. We evaluated the predictive ability of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Rx-Risk Index (Rx-Risk), and Nordic Multimorbidity Index (NMI) for any infection up to 1 year from discharge after hip fracture surgery.METHODS: Using Danish medical registries, we included 92,600 patients (mean age 83 years) surgically treated for hip fracture between 2004 and 2018. Comorbidity-index scores were calculated using prevalence of diagnosis codes, prescription codes, or both. Lookback periods of 1, 5, and 10 years were applied. Logistic regression was used to calculate c-index to assess discrimination of comorbidity indices individually and in combination with a base model of age and sex. Outcome was any infection (not only surgical site infection) in-hospital and 1 year after discharge.RESULTS: At 10-year lookback period, the c-index for individual comorbidity indices for in-hospital infections varied from 0.53 to 0.56, similar to base model alone (0.56). The predictive ability of comorbidity indices in combination with base model varied from 0.56 to 0.57. Within 1 year after discharge, NMI in combination with base model had best predictive ability for infection (c-index = 0.62), followed by CCI and ECI (c-index = 0.60) and Rx-Risk (c-index = 0.58). Discrimination was similar for all lookback periods.CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity indices have low predictive ability for any infection up to 1 year after hip fracture surgery, similar to that of age and sex alone. For case-mix adjustment, evaluated comorbidity indices are of equal value.

AB - BACKGROUND: In studies on infection after hip fracture surgery, a common and serious complication, it remains unknown which comorbidity index is best for case-mix confounder adjustment. We evaluated the predictive ability of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Rx-Risk Index (Rx-Risk), and Nordic Multimorbidity Index (NMI) for any infection up to 1 year from discharge after hip fracture surgery.METHODS: Using Danish medical registries, we included 92,600 patients (mean age 83 years) surgically treated for hip fracture between 2004 and 2018. Comorbidity-index scores were calculated using prevalence of diagnosis codes, prescription codes, or both. Lookback periods of 1, 5, and 10 years were applied. Logistic regression was used to calculate c-index to assess discrimination of comorbidity indices individually and in combination with a base model of age and sex. Outcome was any infection (not only surgical site infection) in-hospital and 1 year after discharge.RESULTS: At 10-year lookback period, the c-index for individual comorbidity indices for in-hospital infections varied from 0.53 to 0.56, similar to base model alone (0.56). The predictive ability of comorbidity indices in combination with base model varied from 0.56 to 0.57. Within 1 year after discharge, NMI in combination with base model had best predictive ability for infection (c-index = 0.62), followed by CCI and ECI (c-index = 0.60) and Rx-Risk (c-index = 0.58). Discrimination was similar for all lookback periods.CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity indices have low predictive ability for any infection up to 1 year after hip fracture surgery, similar to that of age and sex alone. For case-mix adjustment, evaluated comorbidity indices are of equal value.

U2 - 10.1016/j.surge.2023.11.004

DO - 10.1016/j.surge.2023.11.004

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37989653

SN - 1479-666X

VL - 22

SP - e61-e68

JO - Surgeon

JF - Surgeon

IS - 1

ER -