OBJECTIVES : There is a high mortality with not well understood risk factors after the second hip fracture. The aim of the study was to analyse the 270-day mortality and its risk factors in women with contralateral hip fracture.

METHODS : Women aged 60 years and over treated with primary femoral neck fractures in the year 2000 and suffered from contralateral hip fractures between 01 January 2000 and 31 December 2008 were selected from the database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund. Risk factors as age, comorbidities, type of fracture and surgery, surgical complications, day of hospital admission were analyzed by multivariate logistic and Cox regression analysis (p<0.05). Statistical tests were performed using the SPSS version 19.0.

RESULTS : 263 women met the criteria with 32.30% mortality rate at 270 day respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed significantly higher risk for mortality in patients with higher age at 270 day (OR: 1.053) after contralateral hip fracture. Cox regression identified location of second hip fracture (pertrochanteric fracture vs. femoral neck fracture HR: 1.713) as risk factor for 270-day mortality in women.

CONCLUSIONS : Pertrochanteric fracture type and higher ageproved to be risk factors for 270-day mortality after contralateral hip fracture in women over 60 years. There is a need to develop an efficacious prevention strategy for the reduction of the mortality after the second hip fractures.