About 28,000 people were hospitalized for hip fractures in Canada last year, most of them seniors who, according to a report released Wednesday, showed higher death rates as the wait for surgery increased.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information's annual Health Indicators 2007 report analyzed wait times for hip fracture surgery.

"For the first time, we can compare how quickly seniors who break a hip in different parts of the country undergo surgery," Jennifer Zelmer, CIHI’s vice-president of research and analysis, said in a release.

"This is important new information, because evidence suggests that hip fracture patients who have surgery sooner tend to have better health outcomes."

About eight per cent of seniors admitted to hospitals outside Quebec spent four or more days in hospital before having surgery, the report said.

Nationally in 2005-2006, 65 per cent of patients on average had surgery the day they were admitted, or the next day.

Patients in Manitoba (53 per cent) and Saskatchewan (56 per cent) were below the national average, while patients in Prince Edward Island (78 per cent), British Columbia (71 per cent) and Nova Scotia (69 per cent) were above.

Slow, painful recovery for seniors

Among patients who waited longer than the next day for surgery, the mortality rate within 30 days of admission was 22 per cent higher than for those who were treated sooner, after accounting for other factors such as age and other health problems.

About 17,000 surgeries to repair hip fractures were done in patients 65 or older. In this group, 1,000 patients died, about six per cent.

"Hip fractures represent a tremendous health burden for seniors," said Dr. Michael Dunbar, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Dalhousie University in Halifax. "Recovery is often slow and painful, and many patients experience a loss of mobility and other health problems."

Research suggests that patients who wait longer for surgery to repair a broken hip are more likely to have complications, stay longer in hospital and show poorer recovery of function, Dunbar said.

Osteoporosis, low physical activity, taking many medications, and a senior's physical surroundings are all linked with the risk of fracturing a hip, while fall-prevention strategies may help, said Greg Webster, a director of research at the institute.

Hospitalization for hip fractures among seniors fell 13 per cent in five years, to 502 hospitalizations per 100,000 seniors last year, down from 575 in 2000–2001, after taking population growth and aging into account.