Preoperative Cognitive Impairment and Psychological Distress in Hospitalized Elderly Hip Fracture Patients

We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment (CI) in elderly inpatients awaiting surgery for hip fracture, and to compare CI and normal cognition (NC) patients with respect to preoperative pain, fear, and anxiety.

The study included patients who were older than 65 years when admitted to a hospital after acute hip fracture. Preoperative assessment involved use of Confusion Assessment Method–Short Form, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), visual analog scales for anxiety and fear, and Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale. Patients with delirium were excluded from the study. Patients with CI and NC, as determined by MoCA score, were compared for each assessment.

Of the 65 hip fracture patients enrolled, 62 had evaluable cognitive data. Of these 62 patients, 23 (37.1%) had NC (MoCA score, ≥ 23) and 39 (62.9%) had CI (MoCA score, < 23). Only 5 (7.7%) of the 65 patients had a documented diagnosis of CI or dementia at time of hospitalization. Mean preoperative pain scores were significantly (P < .001) higher for CI patients (5.3) than for NC patients (2.8).

Our study results showed that many elderly hip fracture patients had unrecognized CI before surgery, and CI patients had significantly more pain than NC patients did. Appropriate identification of preoperative CI and treatment of pain are crucial in optimizing patient outcomes.