Injury
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Review Meta Analysis
Is early hip fracture surgery safe for patients on clopidogrel? Systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Hip fracture is a common presentation in the elderly population, many of whom will be taking the antiplatelet clopidogrel, which has the potential to increase perioperative bleeding. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to answer the questions: (1) is early hip fracture surgery for patients on clopidogrel associated with worse postoperative outcomes compared to patients not on clopidogrel? (2) is early versus delayed surgery for these patients associated with worse postoperative outcomes? ⋯ Early surgery appears safe for patients with hip fracture though there may be a small increase in the rate of blood transfusion. However, larger prospective trials are required to confirm these findings.