Japanese Herbal Kampo Hochu-Ekki-To or Juzen-Taiho-To after Surgery for Hip Fracture Does Not Reduce Infectious Complications

BACKGROUND: Infectious complications after hip fracture surgery are common in the elderly. Although experimental studies have suggested that kampo medicine, Hochu-ekki-to and Juzen-taiho-to, can prevent infectious complications, only a few small clinical studies have been published to date. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of Hochu-ekki-to or Juzen-taiho-to on postoperative infectious complications in patients undergoing surgery for hip fracture. METHODS AND DESIGN: In this retrospective cohort study using a nationwide inpatient database in Japan, we performed propensity score matching to compare patients who did or did not receive kampo medicine after surgery for hip fracture. SETTINGS: A nationwide inpatient database. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who did or did not receive kampo medicine after surgery for hip fracture. INTERVENTION: Kampo medicine after surgery for hip fracture. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Infectious complications. RESULTS: The proportions of postoperative infectious complications were not significantly different between the 424 propensity-matched pairs with and without kampo medicine (11 versus 8, P = 0.644). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that Hochu-ekki-to or Juzen-taiho-to postoperatively is not associated with decreased occurrence of infectious complications in patients who underwent surgery for hip fracture.