Ms. Anna, a resident of the Lecce province, underwent surgery for a fracture of her femur in the Orthopedic Department of the Sorano Hospital at the age of 104. The patient remains in the hospital, surrounded by the care of the department's staff and her loved ones. He enjoys good health. A femur fracture is a painful and complex event at any age, but in older people, especially people over one hundred years of age, it takes on more worrying aspects.

“A fracture of the femur in the elderly represents a serious event, with a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and with major public health implications,” says Ennio Di Croto, MD, director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UCI Scorano Hospital. “In the past, it was a poor prognostic factor.” For a large proportion of patients, especially with regard to the resulting bed rest.But this patient's case tells us how to reduce or minimize complications. Vitamin Codetakes special importance timing He is able to organize timely surgical treatment through arthroplasty or osteosynthesis, with the aim of getting the patient back on his feet as quickly as possible. This result was possible thanks to a multidisciplinary team including different professional figures such as orthopedic surgeon, anesthesiologist, geriatrician, physical therapist, and last but not least the dedicated nursing staff. Each must develop specific skills to customize their work based on the patient's clinical circumstances and comorbidities. The elderly patient is also defined breakable. This term explains how any surgical, anesthetic, rehabilitation or nursing care procedure, even minimally invasive, can often break an already critical balance. The work of nurses who help and treat this type of patient every day with dedication, perseverance and professionalism becomes essential. Moreover, by arriving at surgery within 24/48 hours at most of the event that caused the fracture, with common and standardized medical protocols, from diagnosis to rehabilitation, it is possible to ensure a better quality of life after the operation.

In 2022 and 2023, the Department of Orthopedics at Sorano Hospital performed more than 350 operations per year on elderly patients with femur fractures. Fractures of the femur in people over 65 years of age, at the presidency of Scorano, account for more than a third of all admissions to the Orthopedic Surgery, which in collaboration with anesthesiologists (Director of Anesthesia Filippo De Rosa) daily treats patients who are often complex, fragile and with Comorbidities. Under multidisciplinary management.