Post-operative anaemia in femoral neck fracture patients: does it need treatment? A single blinded prospective randomised controlled trial.
A prospective randomised controlled trial was performed to establish the effect of oral iron supplementation on haemoglobin level at 4 weeks post-operative in elderly patients with fractured neck of femur undergoing surgical treatment. We single blindly randomised 68 patients into two groups. Thirty-four patients in the treatment group were compared with 32 in the control group. The treatment group received 200mg of oral iron tablets 3 times a day for 4 weeks in the post-operative period compared to nothing for the control group. The groups were comparable in all other aspects. The iron treatment resulted in significantly increased haemoglobin value at 4 weeks; 0.76 g% higher than the control group (95% CI of +0.01 to +1.51) which is statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no major complication. We recommend oral iron supplementation in elderly anaemic patients with hip fracture in the post-operative period.
Prasad
N
N
UHW, Cardiff, United Kingdom. nporth@yahoo.com
Rajamani
V
V
Hullin
D
D
Murray
J M
JM
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006397:Hematinics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method
D006397:Hematinics; D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron