Intravenous lidocaine found to reduce postoperative delirium in elderly patients with hip fracture

The administration of intraoperative intravenous lidocaine, specifically at a dose of 1 mg/kg for more than 10 minutes followed by continuous infusion at 1.5 mg/kg/h until the end of surgery, has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, according to a study.

The study compared this lidocaine intervention (Group L) with a control group receiving normal saline (Group C) and found that Group L exhibited lower incidence and severity of postoperative delirium, as well as fewer adverse events such as hypertension, tachycardia, and emergence agitation.

Importantly, the lidocaine regimen used did not increase the risk of local anesthetic toxicity.

Reference
Li X, Wu J, Lan H, et al. Effect of Intraoperative Intravenous Lidocaine on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2023;17:3749-3756. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S437599. PMID: 38125207; PMCID: PMC10730424.