Management preferences for hip fracture care in Latin America

Purpose: Despite an increase in hip fractures in Latin America, few studies have assessed management of these injuries in this region, impeding efforts to understand current treatment patterns, highlight knowledge deficits, or develop best practice guidelines. This study sought to determine current practices in hip fracture management reported by surgeon-experts in Latin America. Methods: Based on input from a panel of Latin American orthopaedic traumatologists, a case-based survey evaluating hip fracture management preferences was developed and distributed using a snowball sampling method. One surgeon-leader per Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin American country identified ≤10 surgeons experienced in treating hip fractures. Results: A total of 124 respondents from 16 countries completed the survey. For femoral neck fractures, internal fixation of any kind was the most reported method for nondisplaced fractures, except for patients >80 years old and unhealthy. Multiple screws were the most commonly reported internal fixation device for nondisplaced fractures across all age groups. For displaced femoral neck fractures, arthroplasty was the most reported treatment in all scenarios, except for patients