Clinical Outcomes Following Operative and Nonoperative Management of Odontoid Fractures Among Elderly Individuals with Dementia

Background: The incidence of odontoid fractures among the elderly population has been increasing in recent years. Elderly individuals with dementia may be at increased risk for inferior outcomes following such fractures. Although surgical intervention has been maintained to optimize survival and recovery, it is unclear if this benefit extends to patients with dementia. We hypothesized that patients with dementia who were treated operatively for odontoid fractures would experience improved survival and lower rates of hospice admission but higher rates of delirium and of intensive interventions. Methods: We used Medicare claims data (2017 to 2018) to identify community-dwelling individuals with dementia who sustained type-II odontoid fractures. We considered treatment strategy (operative or nonoperative) as the primary predictor and survival as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes consisted of post-treatment delirium, hospice admission, post-treatment intensive intervention, and post-discharge admission to a nursing home or a skilled nursing facility. In all models, we controlled for age, biological sex, race, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, Frailty Index, admission source, treating hospital, and dual eligibility. Adjusted analyses for survival were conducted using Cox proportional hazards regression. Adjusted analyses for secondary outcomes were performed using generalized estimating equations. To address confounding by indication, we performed confirmatory analyses using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Results: In this study, we included 1,030 patients. The median age of the cohort was 86.5 years (interquartile range, 80.9 to 90.8 years), 60.7% of the patients were female, and 90% of the patients were White. A surgical procedure was performed in 19.8% of the cohort. Following an adjusted analysis, patients treated surgically had a 28% lower hazard of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.53 to 0.98]), but higher odds of delirium (odds ratio, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.10 to 2.44]). These findings were preserved in the inverse probability weighted analysis. Conclusions: We found that, among individuals with dementia who sustain a type-II odontoid fracture, surgical intervention may confer a survival benefit. A surgical procedure may be an appropriate treatment strategy for individuals with dementia whose life-care goals include life prolongation and maximizing quality of life in the short term following an injury. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.