Delirium after emergency hip surgery – common and serious, but rarely consented for

A quarter of patients admitted with a proximal femoral fracture suffer from an acute episode of delirium during their hospital stay. Yet it is often unrecognised, poorly managed, and rarely discussed by doctors. Delirium is important not only to the affected individuals and their families, but also socioeconomically to the broader community. Delirium increases mortality and morbidity, leads to lasting cognitive and functional decline, and increases both length of stay and dependence on discharge. Delirium should be routinely and openly discussed by all members of the clinical team, including surgeons when gaining consent. Failing to do so may expose surgeons to claims of negligence. Here we present a concise review of the literature and discuss the epidemiology, causative factors, potential consequences and preventative strategies in the perioperative period.