Anaesthetic technique and dementia risk in older adults with hip fracture

The choice of anaesthetic technique for repair of fractured neck of femur is a subject of ongoing debate. Regional techniques are favoured by many anaesthetists due to the high incidence of frailty in this population. However the evidence supporting one technique over another is weak, with this recent meta-analysis finding no significant difference in most outcomes.

This propensity-matched population-based cohort study, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, looked at older adults undergoing hip fracture surgery. They found an increased incidence of dementia in patients who received general versus regional anaesthesia, with a higher incidence in patients who recieved inhalational anaesthesia versus TIVA.

Read the full paper here: https://www.bjanaesthesia.org/article/S0007-0912(22)00651-1/fulltext