All patients with hip fractures should be fast-tracked through hospital emergency departments and operated on within 48 hours of admission, according to new consensus guidelines developed by UK experts in anaesthesia, orthopaedics, geriatrics and emergency medicine and published in the January issue of Anaesthesia.
However, patients in one in five hospitals in England and Wales currently wait longer than two days, risking lengthier inpatient stays, increased health problems - such as pressure sores, pneumonia and blood clots - and even an increased chance of death if the delay is prolonged.
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland teamed up with a number of other organisations, including the Age Anaesthesia Association and British Orthopaedic Association, to develop the new ten-point plan for the Management of Proximal Femoral Fractures.
"Unlike existing guidelines, they review the current clinical evidence and also recommend best practice in numerous circumstances where evidence is controversial or incomplete, based on expert consensus" says consultant anaesthetist Dr Richard Griffiths, who chaired the working party.
"These are the first guidelines to cover some of the difficult clinical problems faced by anaesthetists on a daily basis.
"For example, we recommend that if any investigations need to be carried out on patients with systolic heart murmurs, this should be done as a matter of urgency to avoid delaying their operations.
"The management of patients on antiplatelet drugs to avoid blood clots forming is another controversial area. Evidence is incomplete, but the expert consensus is to proceed with surgery without stopping the drugs, as operating delays pose a greater risk to the patient."
Hip fractures present unique challenges for anaesthetists as they often occur in elderly patients with significant health problems, stresses Dr Griffiths.
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