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.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders |
| Vol/bind | 41 |
| Udgave nummer | 3-4 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 181-91 |
| Antal sider | 11 |
| ISSN | 1420-8008 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 1 maj 2016 |