DEX-HIP Trial: Preoperative IV Dexamethasone 4 mg vs Placebo to Reduce Postoperative Delirium Burden in Adults ≥70 Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery

Postoperative delirium (POD) is one of the most frequent and clinically significant complications following hip fracture surgery in older adults. It is associated with prolonged hospitalization, increased postoperative complications, delayed functional recovery, institutionalization, increased healthcare costs, and higher short- and long-term mortality. Despite advances in orthogeriatric care, POD remains highly prevalent among geriatric hip-fracture patients due to the combined effects of advanced age, frailty, baseline cognitive vulnerability, surgical stress, pain, inflammation, metabolic disturbance, and perioperative physiological insults.

Emerging evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology of postoperative delirium. Hip fracture itself initiates a systemic inflammatory response that may be amplified by surgical intervention and postoperative stress. Corticosteroids such as dexamethasone possess potent anti-inflammatory properties and may attenuate inflammatory pathways implicated in delirium development. Previous studies, including the STRIDE feasibility trial and exploratory randomized trials in geriatric fracture populations, have suggested that preoperative dexamethasone may reduce delirium severity and possibly decrease delirium incidence following hip fracture surgery. However, evidence remains limited and inconsistent, and further randomized controlled trials are required to clarify the efficacy and safety of this intervention.

This study was designed as a single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group clinical trial conducted at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan. The study evaluated whether administration of a single low-dose preoperative intravenous dexamethasone injection (4 mg) could reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative delirium in older adults undergoing surgery for hip fracture.

Eligible participants included adults aged 60 years or older with hip fractures less than three weeks old who were scheduled for operative management and were able to undergo postoperative delirium assessment. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either intravenous dexamethasone 4 mg or an equivalent volume of normal saline placebo before surgery. Randomization was computer-generated with concealed allocation. Study medications were prepared by personnel not involved in patient care or outcome assessment to maintain blinding of participants, treating clinicians, and outcome assessors.

The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative delirium within the first five postoperative days or until discharge, assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM/CAM-ICU). Delirium severity was evaluated using the validated Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS). Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, postoperative hyperglycaemia, infection, and readmission.