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ARKA Clinical Decision Support is designed to meet all four criteria for Non-Device CDS under FD&C Act §520(o)(1)(E) and FDA's January 2026 final guidance on Clinical Decision Support Software. Recommendations support, not replace, the clinician's judgment. Every recommendation is anchored in a published guideline or peer-reviewed source, with the basis available for independent review. CLIN emphasizes imaging appropriateness at order entry.

This recommendation is intended to support, not replace, clinical judgment. It is generated by ARKA, software designed to meet the four criteria for Non-Device Clinical Decision Support under FD&C Act §520(o)(1)(E) and FDA's final guidance on Clinical Decision Support Software (January 2026). The clinician is responsible for the final decision.

Regulatory rationale Feature catalog Trust center

Evidence library

AIIE Evidence

Acute hip trauma — radiographs first

Lower Extremity MSK

Last reviewed 2026-06-01

Knowledge Matrix v1.0.0

Clinical bottom line

Radiograph all suspected hip fractures first — surgical planning starts from plain films obtained without delay.

Summary

Hip pain after a fall or trauma is evaluated first with pelvis and hip radiographs, which identify the large majority of femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures and immediately direct operative care.

Key points

Early surgery (within 36–48 hours) improves hip fracture outcomes — imaging should not bottleneck the pathway.
AP pelvis plus cross-table lateral are the standard initial views.
Persistent clinical suspicion despite normal films moves to MRI for occult fracture.