Increasing numbers of elderly patients are being prescribed Clopidogrel, an anti-platelet agent for medical reasons. There are no international guidelines as to the management of patients with hip fractures on Clopidogrel in peri-operative period especially in relation to timing of the surgery. In Waterford Regional Hospital in Ireland, hip fracture surgery is deferred for 4 days and platelets are reserved for the operative/post-operative period, in case they have significant bleeding or an associated complication. We conducted a retrospective study on patients admitted over a period of 1 year. A retrospective review of case notes was performed on all the hip fractures on Clopidogrel that had been admitted over last 1 year. Age, Sex, ASA, number of cancellations, operation performed, length of stay, post-op complications including wound, blood & platelet transfusions data were recorded.Introduction
Materials and methods