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Anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery in adults

Joanne M.Y. Guay, Martyn J. Parker, Pushpaj R. Gajendragadkar, Sandra L. Kopp

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016

3,231 participants · 481 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The majority of people with hip fracture are treated surgically, requiring anaesthesia. OBJECTIVES: The main focus of this review is the comparison of regional versus general anaesthesia for hip (proximal femoral) fracture repair in adults. We did not consider supplementary regional blocks in this review as they have been studied in another review. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; the Cochrane Library; 2014, Issue 3), MEDLINE (Ovid SP, 2003 to March 2014) and EMBASE (Ovid SP, 2003 to March 2014). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized trials comparing different methods of anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery in adults. The primary focus of this review was the comparison of regional anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia. The use of nerve blocks preoperatively or in conjunction with general anaesthesia is evaluated in another review. The main outcomes were mortality, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, acute confusional state, deep vein thrombosis and return of patient to their own home. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We analysed data with fixed-effect (I(2) < 25%) or random-effects models. We assessed the quality of the evidence according to the criteria developed by the GRADE working group. MAIN RESULTS: In total, we included 31 studies (with 3231 participants) in our review. Of those 31 studies, 28 (2976…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 3,231 participants or records.

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