The management of patients with hip fractures who are taking Clopidogrel.

AIM

To assess the outcomes of patients with acute proximal hip fractures who were taking Clopidogrel.

METHOD

A retrospective study of 135 patients with proximal hip fractures. Demographic data and clinical outcomes were collected via review of hospital medical records.

RESULTS

21 patients taking Clopidogrel on admission were compared with 114 patients not on Clopidogrel. The groups were similar in their baseline characteristics. Postoperative haemoglobin and wound haematoma, hospital length of stay and death rate were similar in both groups even when the patients on Clopidogrel were operated on within 2 days of fracture. Days to surgery were longer in the Clopidogrel group than the control group (3.5 vs 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that patients on Clopidogrel do not have a worse outcome than those who were not taking the medication. We feel that it is safe to perform surgery as soon as possible.