A broken hip is so painful that your father won’t be able to eat or use a bedpan without severe pain. If a patient is well enough to ask for food or feed themselves, then the recommendation is to fix that hip.
The patient will immediately be more comfortable, be able to sit, and even walk.
Why should the last week of a patient’s life be the most painful week of their whole life? Therefore, unless the patient is no longer eating, I recommend fixing the painful broken hip.
Walker Wynkoop, MD, lives in Los Banos and is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with 30 years of experience. He works at Surgical Affiliates of California. Please email questions to: Doc@Wynmd.com.
