Abstract / Description
BackgroundOlder patients with malnutrition who undergo hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture are at high risk of delayed postoperative recovery. This retrospective study aimed to examine the association of early oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) with postoperative nutrition-related laboratory indicators, recovery outcomes, and in-hospital complications in this population.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients aged 60 years or older with malnutrition who underwent hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture between January 2022 and December 2025. Patients were classified into an early ONS group if structured ONS was initiated within 24 h after surgery and into a control group otherwise. Primary outcomes included postoperative changes in serum albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin, total protein, lymphocyte count, length of hospital stay, time to first ambulation, and time to first flatus. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications during the index hospitalization.ResultsAmong 294 included patients, 118 received early ONS and 176 served as controls. At discharge, the early ONS group showed more favorable laboratory profiles, including higher serum albumin [β = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66 to 2.18; p