The Use of Post-operative Regional Analgesia Rather Than Systemic Analgesia to Decrease the Incidence of Post-operative Delirium After Acute Hip Fracture Surgery? A Prospective Randomized-controlled Double-blinded Pilot Study.

Post operative delirium is common after hip fracture surgery and is associated with increased length of hospital stay, delayed recovery and increased mortality. Postoperative delirium can also decrease a patient's quality of life and increase treatment costs. Anesthesia and pain relief (analgesia) treatments may also influence the incidence of delirium, but more research is needed into which techniques are effective in improving patient outcomes, care and decreasing costs. This pilot study compares the addition of regional analgesia as part of general anesthesia to determine the incidence of delirium following hip surgery. This is a collaborative study involving anesthesia, orthopedic surgery and geriatrics in the improvement of patient care.