A new study found that the use of regional anesthesia was associated with a significant reduction in major pulmonary complications and death among patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.
In a study of more than 18,000 patients undergoing surgery for hip fractures in New York, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found 29 percent lower odds of mortality among patients receiving regional versus general anesthesia. They also found a 24 percent decrease in the odds of inpatient pulmonary complications with regional anesthesia.
"These findings have important implications for practice, policy, and research related to the treatment of older adults with hip fracture," said Lee A. Fleisher, MD, chair and professor of anesthesiology and critical care and the senior author of the study. "Given the high rate of mortality associated with hip fracture and the large and growing worldwide public health burden attributed to complications of hip fracture care, our findings highlight an important potential opportunity to improve outcomes among a growing population of vulnerable surgical patients."
The study will appear in the July issue of Anesthesiology.
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In a study of more than 18,000 patients undergoing surgery for hip fractures in New York, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found 29 percent lower odds of mortality among patients receiving regional versus general anesthesia. They also found a 24 percent decrease in the odds of inpatient pulmonary complications with regional anesthesia.
"These findings have important implications for practice, policy, and research related to the treatment of older adults with hip fracture," said Lee A. Fleisher, MD, chair and professor of anesthesiology and critical care and the senior author of the study. "Given the high rate of mortality associated with hip fracture and the large and growing worldwide public health burden attributed to complications of hip fracture care, our findings highlight an important potential opportunity to improve outcomes among a growing population of vulnerable surgical patients."
The study will appear in the July issue of Anesthesiology.
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