scholarly journals MP033: The use of femoral nerve blocks in the emergency department for hip fracture patients

CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S77-S77
Author(s):  
A. Sandre ◽  
C. Thompson ◽  
S.L. McLeod ◽  
B. Borgundvaag

Introduction: Hip fractures affect over 30,000 Canadians each year. Delirium, or acute confusion, occurs in up to 62% of patients following a hip fracture. Delirium substantially increases hospital length of stay and doubles the risk of nursing home admissions and death. Previous studies have shown that regional anesthesia is the optimal pain management strategy for hip fracture patients and has been shown to independently reduce the rate, severity and duration of delirium. However, very few emergency physicians (EPs) have the necessary training and experience to use regional anesthesia for hip fracture in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to determine the number of femoral nerve blocks performed within the ED for the management of hip fracture patients. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients aged 65 years and older, presenting to an academic ED (annual census 60,000) with a discharge diagnosis of hip fracture from January 1st 2014 to July 31st 2015. Results: Of the 243 hip fractures included in this study, mean (SD) age was 82.9 (8.2) years and 187 (77.0%) were female. The majority (214, 88.1%) of patients arrived to the ED by ambulance and 182 (74.9%) were categorized as CTAS 3. The most common analgesics used in the ED were intravenous (IV) hydromorphone (51.4%), IV morphine (32.1%), or dual therapy with both IV hydromorphone and IV morphine (4.9%). Femoral nerve blocks were initiated for 13 (5.3%) patients and successfully completed in 12 (4.9%) patients in the ED. Median (IQR) ED and hospital length of stay was 5.0 (3.7, 6.6) hours and 6.0 (4.1, 10.2) days, respectively. Forty-three (17.7%) patients experienced in-hospital acute delirium. Conclusion: Despite evidence to suggest regional anesthesia may be the optimal pain management strategy for hip fracture patients, the use of femoral nerve blocks in the ED remains low. Future research should attempt to elucidate barriers to use of this procedure by emergency physicians.

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S47-S48
Author(s):  
V. Brienza ◽  
C. Thompson ◽  
A. Sandre ◽  
S.L. McLeod ◽  
S. Caine ◽  
...  

Introduction: Hip fractures affect over 35,000 Canadians each year. Delirium, or acute confusion, occurs in up to 62% of patients following a hip fracture. Delirium substantially increases hospital length of stay and doubles the risk of nursing home admissions and death. The primary objective of this study was to identify risk factors independently associated with acute in-hospital delirium within 72 hours of emergency department (ED) arrival for patients diagnosed with a hip fracture. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients aged 65 years and older presenting to one of two academic EDs with a discharge diagnosis of hip fracture from January 1st 2014 to December 31st 2015. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine variables independently associated with the development of acute in-hospital delirium within 72 hours of ED arrival. Results: Of the 668 included patients, mean (SD) age was 84.1 (8.0) years and 501 (75%) were female. 521 (78.0%) patients received an opioid analgesic and/or femoral nerve block in the ED. The most common analgesics used in the ED were intravenous (IV) morphine (35.8%), IV hydromorphone (35.2%), or dual therapy with both IV hydromorphone and IV morphine (2.2%). Femoral nerve blocks were initiated for 36 (5.4%) patients and successfully completed in 35 (5.2%) patients in the ED. 181 (27.1%) patients developed delirium within 72 hours of ED arrival. History of neurodegenerative disease or dementia (OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 3.9, 8.4), age >75 (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.4, 5.6) and absence of analgesia in the ED (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3, 3.2) were independently associated with acute in-hospital delirium. Conclusion: The development of in-hospital delirium is common in patients diagnosed with a hip fracture. We have identified modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors independently associated with acute in-hospital delirium, which can be identified in the ED. Clinicians should be aware of these risk factors in order to implement strategies directed at reducing the development of acute delirium. Additionally, further research is needed in order to understand the relationship between analgesia delivered in the ED and the development of delirium for patients diagnosed with a hip fracture.


CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S31
Author(s):  
J. Ringaert ◽  
J. Broughton ◽  
M. Pauls ◽  
I. Laxdal ◽  
N. Ashmead

Introduction: Approximately 30,000 hip fractures occur annually in Canada, and the incidence will increase with an aging population. Pain control remains a challenge with these patients, as many are elderly and prone to delirium. Regional anesthesia has shown to be very effective with minimal risks, but it is not clear how often emergency physicians are using this technique to provide analgesia for patients with proximal hip fractures. This is the first Canada-wide survey to evaluate the use of regional anaesthesia in the emergency department for hip fractures. It also evaluates physician comfort level with performing these blocks, perceived educational needs in this area, and barriers to performing nerve blocks. Methods: A 13-question survey was sent to 1041 members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians via email in January and February of 2016. Data was collected and analysed using an online collection program called “Survey Monkey”. Ethics approval was obtained through the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board. Results: 272 Emergency physicians and residents took part in the survey. The majority of respondents (75.9%) choose intravenous opioids as their first line of analgesia and only 7.6% use peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) as their first line choice for analgesia in hip fracture. In response to practitioner comfort with PNBs for hip fractures, most were not at all confident (45.0%) in their ability and many respondents have never performed a nerve block for a hip fracture (53.9%). The most commonly identified barriers to performing PNBs include lack of training, the time to perform the procedure and a lack of confidence. A larger percentage of respondents (34.2%), identified having had no training and no knowledge of how to perform PNBs for hip fractures. Conclusion: The vast majority of Canadian emergency physicians who took part in this survey do not utilize PNBs as a method of pain management for hip fractures. Over half have never performed one of these procedures and many have never received training in how to do so. Future efforts should focus on improving access to education, disseminating information regarding the effectiveness of PNB, and addressing logistical barriers in the ED.


CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S56-S56
Author(s):  
A. Mokhtari ◽  
D. Simonyan ◽  
A. Pineault ◽  
M. Mallet ◽  
S. Blais ◽  
...  

Introduction: A physician handoff is the process through which physicians transfer the primary responsibility of a care unit. The emergency department (ED) is a fast-paced and crowded environment where the risk of information loss between shifts is significant. Yet, the impact of handoffs between emergency physicians on patient outcomes remains understudied. We performed a retrospective cohort study in the ED to determine if handed-off patients, when compared to non-handed-off patients, were at higher risk of negative outcomes. Methods: We included every adult patient first assessed by an emergency physician and subsequently admitted to hospital in one of the five sites of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval during fiscal year 2016-17. Data were extracted from the local hospital discharge database and the ED information system. Primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were incidence of ICU admission and surgery and hospital length of stay. We conducted multilevel multivariate regression analyses, accounting for patient and hospital clusters and adjusting for demographics, CTAS score, comorbidities, admitting department delay before evaluation by an emergency physician and by another specialty, emergency department crowding, initial ED orientation and handoff timing. We conducted sensitivity analyses excluding patients that had an ED length of stay > 24 hours or events that happened after 72 hours of hospitalization. Results: 21,136 ED visits and 17,150 unique individuals were included in the study. Median[Q1-Q3] age, Charlson index score, door-to-emergency-physician time and ED length of stay were 71[55-83] years old, 3[1-4], 48 [24,90] minutes, 20.8[9.9,32.7] hours, respectively. In multilevel multivariate analysis (OR handoff/no handoff [CI95%] or GMR[SE]), handoff status was not associated with mortality 0.89[0.77,1.02], surgery 0.95[0.85,1.07] or hospital length of stay (-0.02[0.03]). Non-handed-off patients had an increased risk of ICU admission (0.75[0.64,0.87]). ED occupancy rate was an independent predictor of mortality and ICU admission rate irrespectively of handoff status. Sensitivity and sub-group based analyses yielded no further information. Conclusion: Emergency physicians’ handoffs do not seem to increase the risk of severe in-hospital adverse events. ED occupancy rate is an independent predictor of mortality. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of ED handoffs on adverse events of low and moderate severity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Fahey ◽  
Elinor Cripps ◽  
Aloysius Ng ◽  
Amy Sweeny ◽  
Peter J. Snelling

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block was first described for the treatment of hip fracture, including neck of femur, in 2018. We hypothesise that the PENG block is safe and effective for patients with hip fracture when provided by emergency physicians and trainees in the emergency department (ED), for which it may be superior to fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) and femoral nerve block (FNB).MethodsFrom October 2019 to July 2020, consecutive patients receiving regional anaesthesia for hip fracture in the ED of a single large regional hospital were prospectively enrolled. Pain scores were assessed prior to regional anaesthesia then at 15, 30 and 60 minutes after regional anaesthesia. Maximal reduction in pain scores within 60 minutes were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (at rest and on movement) or the Pain Assessment IN Advanced Dementia tool (at rest). Patients were followed for opioid use for 12 hours after regional anaesthesia and adverse events over the duration of their admission.ResultsThere were 67 eligible patients during the enrolment period, with 52 (78%) prospectively enrolled. Thirty-three received femoral blocks (19 FICB, 14 FNB) and 19 received a PENG block. There was no difference in maximum pain score reduction between the groups whether measured at rest or on movement. Clinicians providing the PENG block were less experienced in the technique than those providing FICB or FNB. There was no difference in adverse effects between groups. Although opioid use was similar between the groups, more patients were opioid free after a PENG block.ConclusionsAlthough there was no difference in maximal pain score reduction, this study demonstrated that the PENG block was feasible and could be provided safely and effectively to patients with hip fracture in the ED. On this basis, a larger randomised controlled study should now be designed.Key MessagesWhat is already known on this subject□There is a solid neuroanatomical rationale to suggest the PENG block may provide superior anaesthesia of hip fractures than FNB or FICB.□The technique utilises bony sonographic and tactile landmarks which make it an ideal block for emergency physicians to safely and effectively perform.□What this study adds□This is the first comparative study of the PENG block to FNB or FICB in patients with hip fracture in ED, which will provide a scaffold for future research.□This pragmatic observation of evolving practice showed that emergency physicians and trainees inexperienced in the technique could provide it safely and effectively in the ED


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-266
Author(s):  
Jyoti Dangle ◽  
Promil Kukreja ◽  
Hari Kalagara

Abstract Purpose of Review This article aims to describe the anatomical and technical aspects of various regional techniques used for fracture hip and hip surgery. We reviewed the commonly used nerve blocks, interfascial plane blocks and current evidence of their utility in hip fracture patients. Recent Findings Fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) and femoral nerve block (FNB) are the most commonly used nerve blocks for providing pain relief for hip fracture patients. Supra-inguinal FICB has more consistent spread to all nerves and can enable better pain control. Both the FICB and FNB have shown analgesic efficacy with reduced pain scores, opioid sparing effect, and they enable better patient positioning for spinal in the operating room. These nerve blocks in the elderly patients can also have beneficial effects on delirium, reduced hospital length of stay, and decreased incidence of pneumonia. Some of the novel interfascial plane blocks like PEricapsular Nerve Group (PENG) blocks are now being explored to provide pain relief for fracture hip. Summary Hip fracture in the elderly has associated morbidity and mortality. Early surgical intervention has shown to reduce morbidity and mortality. Pain management in this elderly population poses a unique challenge and complementing with regional anesthesia for analgesia has shown numerous benefits.


CJEM ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Riddell ◽  
Maria Ospina ◽  
Jayna M. Holroyd-Leduc

AbstractObjectiveHip fractures are a common source of acute pain amongst the frail elderly. One potential technique to adequately manage pain in this population is the femoral nerve block. The objective of this systematic review was to provide updated evidence for the use of femoral nerve blocks as a pain management technique for older hip fracture patients in the emergency department (ED).Data SourcesSearches of Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were conducted between December 2010 and May 2014. The reference list of a previous systematic review was also searched.Study SelectionWe included randomized control trials examining the use of femoral nerve blocks in the ED among older adults (65 years of age or older) with acute hip fracture.Data ExtractionAmong 93 citations reviewed, seven trials were included. Four studies employed a single femoral nerve block, while three studies employed continuous (catheter-placed) femoral blocks. All but one of the studies were found to have a high risk of bias.Data SynthesisAll studies reported reductions in pain intensity with femoral nerve blocks. All but one study reported decreased rescue analgesia requirements. There were no adverse effects found to be associated with the femoral block procedure; rather, two studies found a decreased risk of adverse events such as respiratory and cardiac complications.ConclusionsFemoral nerve blocks appear to have benefits both in terms of decreasing the pain experienced by older patients, as well as limiting the amount of systemic opioids administered to this population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352110114
Author(s):  
Andrew Nyce ◽  
Snehal Gandhi ◽  
Brian Freeze ◽  
Joshua Bosire ◽  
Terry Ricca ◽  
...  

Prolonged waiting times are associated with worse patient experience in patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). However, it is unclear which component of the waiting times is most impactful to the patient experience and the impact on hospitalized patients. We performed a retrospective analysis of ED patients between July 2018 and March 30, 2020. In all, 3278 patients were included: 1477 patients were discharged from the ED, and 1680 were admitted. Discharged patients had a longer door-to-first provider and door-to-doctor time, but a shorter doctor-to-disposition, disposition-to-departure, and total ED time when compared to admitted patients. Some, but not all, components of waiting times were significantly higher in patients with suboptimal experience (<100th percentile). Prolonged door-to-doctor time was significantly associated with worse patient experience in discharged patients and in patients with hospital length of stay ≤4 days. Prolonged ED waiting times were significantly associated with worse patient experience in patients who were discharged from the ED and in inpatients with short length of stay. Door-to-doctor time seems to have the highest impact on the patient’s experience of these 2 groups.


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