The Effect of Intravenous Dexamethasone in Addition to Intrathecal Morphine on Postoperative Analgesia and Nausea/Vomiting in Geriatric Hip Fractures: A Retrospective Study

Hip fractures (proximal femur fractures) are a global public health problem with high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in the geriatric population aged 65 years and older. Hip fractures, an important consequence of osteoporosis, occur as a result of low-energy trauma with advancing age. Increased mortality rates are associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, the need for an intensive care unit, prolonged hospital stay, and decreased quality of life.

Multimodal analgesia strategies in geriatric hip fracture patients aim to provide adequate pain control while limiting systemic opioid use. Spinal anesthesia, one of the neuraxial anesthesia methods, is frequently used in this patient group, as it avoids complications associated with general anesthesia. It has been reported that the addition of intrathecal morphine (ITM) to local anesthetics used in minimal-dose spinal anesthesia is practical in postoperative pain control. It has been reported that the use of ITM in the dose range of 0.1-0.2 mg in major orthopedic surgeries such as total hip arthroplasty significantly reduces systemic opioid use and provides a decrease in early pain scores. Nausea, vomiting, and decreased gastrointestinal function in the postoperative period may impair patient comfort. In addition, depending on the dose used, ITM may cause side effects such as postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and pruritus. It has been reported that perioperative use of intravenous dexamethasone reduces postoperative pain scores and the consumed analgesic dose in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia using ITM, as well as reducing PONV. Although the benefit of opioid-sparing analgesia provided by ITM in geriatric hip fracture patients is important, the role of intravenous dexamethasone in effectively controlling side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and pruritus, which may increase with it, is a current and critical area of research.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of intravenous (8 mg) dexamethasone added to intrathecal morphine (0.1 mg) on postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, PONV, and pruritus in geriatric hip fracture patients.