Feasibility

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.

Inclusion criteria (must meet all 3):

• Greater than or equal to 65 years
• Have a hip fracture requiring surgery
• Written informed consent for participation of study prior to surgery.

Exclusion criteria:

• Contraindication to peripheral nerve block or local anaesthetics
• Unable to do delirium or cognitive testing due to language, vision or hearing impairment
• Unable to communicate with research staff due to language barriers
• History of chronic opioid use (longer than 1 month)
• Contraindication to general anesthesia

There is no current plan to share individual subject data