She will turn 103 next September. In the early hours of the morning, in her home, needing to go to the bathroom, she got out of bed and, once she put her feet on the mat, she slipped because of it, causing trauma to her left hip. When she arrived at the Emergency Department of Santo Stefano Hospital in Prato (directed by Dr. Simone Magazzini), she underwent instrumental and laboratory tests that revealed a fracture of the left femur. Collegially assessed by the orthopedist, the anesthetist and the orthogeriatrician, she underwent orthopedic surgery for reduction and synthesis with an intramedullary nail less than 24 hours after arriving in the department. On the second day, passive mobilization of the operated limb began at the patient’s bedside. Three days after the operation, Mrs. Mafalda was positioned alternately in an armchair and a wheelchair. Six days after the operation she began to walk assisted by the physiotherapists, Elisa Niccolai and Enrica Bartolozzi, with the aid of a walker. The physiotherapists also collaborated in the timely reporting of hospital-territory continuity of care for the activation of home care.
A truly excellent result for Mrs. Mafalda made possible by Orthogeriatrics: the path that after surgery allows fractured elderly people, even those over one hundred years old, to walk again early, and of which Dr. Antonio Vito Mitidieri Costanza is director. Orthogeriatrics involves close collaboration between orthopaedist, geriatrician, anesthetist, nurse, physiotherapist and, if required, also the social worker, so as to address the numerous problems resulting from femur fracture with a multidimensional and multiprofessional approach.
Orthogeriatrics aims to guarantee the elderly a return to their pre-fracture condition and with the best outcomes. Upon the patient’s arrival at the hospital, the nature of the fall, the functional and cognitive status are investigated, any acute pathologies are stabilized and, therefore, the patient is best prepared for the surgical procedure; if necessary, further specialist consultations are also activated and in the post-operative phase, in addition to pain management, doctors try to prevent all those complications that can negatively affect functional recovery.
In this specific case, Mrs. Mafalda was operated on by the team directed by Dr. Pier Paolo Cerulli Mariani, director of the Traumatology structure which pertains to the complex structure and to the Orthopedics and Traumatology corporate area of which Dr. Giovanni Benelli is director, with nursing coordination by Dr. Pamela Brasolin; the physiotherapy team coordinated by Dr. Barbara Lucchesi intervened for the rehabilitation.
Doctor Monica Chiti, director of nursing management in Prato, added: “with Orthogeriatrics we are also able to create personalized care paths always aimed at a rapid recovery of autonomy on the part of the elderly who, for the most part, present in addition to The acute event also has a high clinical complexity. Our best wishes to Mrs. Mafalda from all the staff.”
Source: ASL Tuscany Centre
