Objective: To evaluate the lumber plexus blockade as anesthesia technique for hip fracture repair in elderly patients.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the peri-operative data of 87 hip fracture patients, aged 70 years or older, who underwent surgical repair at our hospital between 2003 and 2006. Patients were divided into three groups according the anesthesia techniques applied: general anesthesia (GA) group (n=21), epidural anesthesia (EA) group (n=37), and lumber plexus blockade (LPB) group (n=29).
Results: The peri-operative data were comparable among three groups, except that intra-operative the dosage of fentanyl was significantly lower in LPB group compared with in GA group(P0.05), and the blood urea nitrogen 1 day after surgery was significantly increased in GA group(P0.05).
Conclusion: Lumber plexus blockade combined with small-dose intravenous anesthesia is an optional anesthetic technique for elderly patients undergoing hip fracture repair.