Hematoma Block Versus General Anesthesia in Distal Radius Fractures in Patients Over 60 Years in Trauma Emergency

BACKGROUND: Distal radius fractures are among common fractures in the elderly. Regarding the age, background diseases, and possible risks, analgesia method is of great importance in this group. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare two analgesia methods including hematoma block and general anesthesia in people over 60 years in the orthopedic emergency department. METHODS: 68 elderly patients referring to the emergency department of a medical teaching center were selected based on the inclusion criteria for a non-randomized clinical trial. The patients were placed in two groups of 34, which were matched for age and sex. Hematoma block was used as the analgesic method in one group and general anesthesia was used in the other group. These two groups were compared for pain intensity, analgesia duration, and anesthesia side effects. The SPSS software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 17.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill, USA) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: 68 elderly patients (mean age of 70.3 ± 6.6) with a dislocated distal radius fracture which required closed reduction were examined. The duration of manipulation and surgery and discharging time were significantly different between two groups and they were all lower in the hematoma blocked group. Pain intensity evaluation indicated a statistically significant difference during initial hours after fracture reduction and fixation so that pain intensity was less in elderly patients under hematoma block than patients who underwent general anesthesia in one and six hours after surgery. Need for narcotic was 35.2% in the general anesthesia group which also showed a significant between-group difference. CONCLUSIONS: Hematoma block analgesia used in distal radius fractures of the elderly is a very safe and effective method that seems preferable to general anesthesia in emergency departments.