The Influence of Postoperative Analgesia on Systemic Inflammatory Response and POCD After Femoral Fractures Surgery

Phase 2

Completed

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine whether epidural levobupivacaine applied for the purpose of post-operative analgesia compared to systemic analgesia with morphine leads to better pain control, stronger suppression of the inflammatory response and the production of inflammatory mediators, faster recovery of patients and consequently less incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients after surgical treatment of femoral fractures.

Detailed Description: The research will be carried out at the Department of Surgery at Clinical Hospital Centre(CHC) Osijek after approval by the Ethics Committee of CHC Osijek and will be organized as a prospective randomized trial. Respecting the including and excluding criteria for participation in the study, the research will include 70 patients aged 65 years and over who are undergoing surgery for proximal femur fractures and will be operated with the same operating technique (osteosynthesis with nail). All participants will receive the same type of anesthesia and one of two forms of post-operative analgesia, so it will be divided into two groups (35 patients) depending on which form of post-operative analgesia receive. Randomization will be performed by drawing an envelope in which the specified one or other form of post-operative analgesia will be written. The study will be stopped in case of serious complications life-threatening (excessive sedation, respiratory insufficiency, hemodynamic instability and profound hypotension, heart rhythm disorders), which could possibly be related to the administration of drugs used for postoperative analgesia.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

patients age 65 and over
fracture of the proximal femur
preoperative assessment American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA) score I - ASA III
a written consent of the patient to participate in research

Exclusion Criteria

patient non-compliance
ASA status IV and IV above
patients younger than 65 years
dementia, Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular accident history; simultaneous head injuries,the use of opioids and benzodiazepines longer than a month before the surgery; alcoholism; serious liver disease (class C according to Child-Pugh's classification); severe kidney disease that require dialysis
result of MMSE test (Mini-Mental State Examination) under 17
the existence of any contraindications for the implementation of regional anesthesia and one or other form of post-operative analgesia.

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
morphine	morphine	The patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with morphine (basal flow of 0.5-2 mg / h, bolus dose of 0.5 mg, lockout interval of 20 minutes, hour limit of 3 doses), which will be carried out 72 hours after the surgery
levobupivacaine	levobupivacaine	Upon completion of the operation for a period of 72 hours will be implemented continuous epidural local anesthetic through the Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump (Levobupivacaine 0.125%, basal flow of 6 ml / hour, a bolus dose of 2 ml, lockout interval of 20 minutes, hour limit of 3 doses).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Cognitive Function	Before, 24,48,72,96 and 120 hours after the surgery	Assessment of cognitive function will be done using the Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) rating scales before and 24,48,72,96 and 120 hours after the surgery at the same time every morning. Mini-Mental State Examination Scale: minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 30; the severity of cognitive impairment: no cognitive impairment=25-30; mild cognitive impairment=19-24; moderate cognitive impairment=10-18; and severe cognitive impairment\<9. Higher scores mean a better and lower scores mean a worse outcome.
Interleukin-6 Concentration in Peripheral Blood.	Before, 24 and 72 hours after the surgery	Measurement will be done before and 24 and 72 hours after the surgery.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Fibrinogen Concentrations in Peripheral Blood	Before, 24,72 and 120 hours after the surgery	Measurement will be done before and 24,72 and 120 hours after the surgery.
Changes in Pain Intensity	During the first 72 hours after the surgery assessment will be done every 3 hours, after that assessment will be done 3 times daily until discharge	Assessment will be done using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). During the first 72 hours after the surgery assessment will be done every 3 hours, after that assessment will be done 3 times daily. Median of 8 time points measurements during the first 24, 48 and 72 hours after the surgery will be reported. After that, median of 3 time points will be reported from the 4. to 6. postoperative day and on the day of discharge. Minimum score 0 and maximum score 10 ( 0-No Pain; 1-3 Mild Pain; 4-6 Moderate Pain; 7-10 Severe Pain ). Higher scores mean a worse and lower scores mean a better outcome.
Changes in C-reactive Protein (CRP) Levels	Before, 24,72 and 120 hours after the surgery	Measurement will be done before and 24,72 and 120 hours after the surgery.
Postoperative Hospital Stay	14 days	Duration of postoperative hospital stay in days