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.
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 fracturepatients 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 painpatients with dementia. Further guidance is needed, as inadequate treatment of pain may have adverse consequences.
Authors: Sally Fowler Davis; Helen Humphreys; Tom Maden-Wilkinson; Sarah Withers; Anna Lowe; Robert J Copeland Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2022-06-17
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Authors: Toby O Smith; Anthony W Gilbert; Ashwini Sreekanta; Opinder Sahota; Xavier L Griffin; Jane L Cross; Chris Fox; Sarah E Lamb Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2020-02-07
Authors: K S Frederiksen; C Cooper; G B Frisoni; L Frölich; J Georges; M G Kramberger; C Nilsson; P Passmore; L Mantoan Ritter; D Religa; R Schmidt; E Stefanova; A Verdelho; M Vandenbulcke; B Winblad; G Waldemar Journal: Eur J Neurol Date: 2020-07-26 Impact factor: 6.089