Mortality in patients over 65 with proximal humerus fractures: a systematic review of 414,379 shoulders with meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
For patients ≥ 65 years, PHFs are associated with high rates of mortality in the short-to-medium-term: 10.1% at 1 year and 36.1% at 5-year follow-up.
Study context
- Population
- Patients ≥ 65 years with proximal humerus fractures (82% female; mean age 78.8 ± 2.5)
- Participants
- 414,379 patients17 studies
- Comparison
- Operative vs non-operative treatment
- Outcome
- Mortality rate (pooled)
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Methodological detailsPRISMA, random-effects model, subgroup analysis by treatment type
- PRISMA
- Random-effects model
- Subgroup analysis by treatment type
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Pooled 1-year mortality
Pooled 1-year mortality rate
10%
95% CI 8.97–11.20%
Further pooled results
| Outcome | Operative | Non-operative | Difference (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortality by treatment type (subgroup) | 7.92% (95% CI 6.98–8.86%) | 10.80% (95% CI 9.44–12.17%) | - 2.89% (- 4.54 to - 1.23%) |
- Mortality by treatment type (subgroup): interpret with caution: likely confounding by indication in observational studies
Pooled 30-day/in-hospital mortality
- Pooled mortality
- 1.74% (95% CI 1.39-2.10%)
Pooled 5-year mortality
- Pooled mortality
- 36.10% (95% CI 34.50-37.70%)
Original publication
Mortality in patients over 65 with proximal humerus fractures: a systematic review of 414,379 shoulders with meta-analysis. Osteoporos Int. Published 24 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →