Postoperative Treatment of Pain after Hip Fracture in Elderly Patients with Dementia

Abstract

Background/aims: Prior studies have shown that patients with dementia are at risk of receiving insufficient treatment for pain after a hip fracture. We therefore hypothesized that elderly hip fracture patients with dementia received less postoperative pain treatment than those without dementia.

Method: All patients (age ≥65 years) who had been operated on for a hip fracture in the Copenhagen University Hospital region in 2009 were included. Data about analgesic use for the first 72 h after surgery were acquired from the hospitals' electronic medication system and linked with information about dementia, comorbidity, and prior drug use.

Results: A total of 1,507 patients were included, of which 296 (19.6%) suffered from dementia. Both groups were equally likely to receive paracetamol and opioids. Patients with dementia received lower doses of oral morphine equivalents during the first [dementia vs. no dementia: 29.0 (26.4-31.8) vs. 34.7 (33.1-36.4) mg, p = 0.001] and second [27.8 (25.4-30.5) vs. 31.2 (29.9-32.4) mg, p = 0.019] but not on the third postoperative day (p = 0.10).

Conclusion: The lower doses of opioids may reflect uncertainty about how to treat pain patients with dementia. Further guidance is needed, as inadequate treatment of pain may have adverse consequences.