To analyse the risk factors for falls in vascular patients and methods to mitigate fall risk in hospitalised patients receiving vascular surgery.This study is a multicentre, retrospective study.A total of 112 inpatients that underwent vascular surgery in five hospitals in Shanxi Province from April 2018 to April 2022 were selected. They were divided into two groups according to whether they had fallen or not; 56 patients who fell were taken as the observation group and 56 patients who did not fall were taken as the control group. The risk factors of falls were analysed by univariate and logistic regression.There was no significant difference between the observation and the control groups in male patients and the incidence of falls without family members. In the observation group, the percentage of patients aged ≥65 years old, with a history of falls and/or fractures, long-term medications and a history of osteoporosis was higher than in the control group and showed a statistically significant difference. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, a history of falls and fractures, long-term medications and a history of osteoporosis were independent risk factors for falls, and the differences were statistically significant.Older age, a history of falls and/or fractures, continuous medication for more than 3 months and a history of osteoporosis are the risk factors for falls in hospitalised patients undergoing vascular surgery.© 2023 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.