Continuous Fascia Iliaca Block for Acute Hip Fractures
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2019-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly with over 30,000
hip fractures occuring in Canada annually and over 1300 in Saskatchewan. The estimated cost
associated with hip fractures is over $600 million nationally and 28 million dollars in
Saskatchewan. Hip fractures cause a great deal of pain and immobility and are mainly treated
with surgical fixation. In the perioperative period, hip fracture patients are treated mainly
with opioids and other adjuncts such as NSAIDS and acetaminophen. Opioid consumption in the
elderly population can predispose to delirium and respiratory complications such as
atelectasis, respiratory depression, and pneumonia.
Fascia iliaca blocks have been shown to be an effective mode of analgesia for patients with
hip fractures, but are underutilized for varying reasons including culture of practice,
expertise with performing the block, and having a dedicated service to do so.
This study aims to compare the efficacy of fascia iliaca blocks to standard treatment
(opioids) in the management of pain in hip fracture patients with a particular focus on
outcomes such as the incidence of delirium, respiratory complications, and length of stay in
hospital. Our idea is that if we can reduce the amount of opioids these patients receive then
they will have improved pain control, fewer respiratory complications, earlier time to
mobilizing, and shorter hospital stays. As far as we are aware this relation has not been
well studied.