Abstract
Management of hip fracture patients on direct oral anticoagulants in Australia and New Zealand is unclear. Hip fracture patients on DOACs had three times higher odds of time to surgery > 36 h than patients on no antithrombotic medication. Balancing individual considerations and guidelines may shorten time to surgery. PURPOSE: The management of hip fracture patients taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) requires balancing anticoagulation concerns and adherence to recommendations of surgery within 36 h. This study compares the management and time to surgery of hip fracture patients in Australia and New Zealand who were on DOACs, other antithrombotic medication, and no antithrombotic medication. METHOD: A sprint audit of hospitals participating in the Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry (ANZHFR) was conducted. Sprint audit data regarding DOAC use, demographics, and clinical management was collected for consecutive patients aged ≥ 50 years admitted to hospital with a hip fracture between 1 June and 30 July 2024. The primary outcome was time to surgery. RESULTS: Of 1043 hip fracture patients, 192 (18%) were taking DOACs on presentation to hospital. Patients on DOACs had 3 times higher odds (OR 3.65, 95% CI 2.40-5.55), and patients on other antithrombotic medication had 1.6 times higher odds (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.12-2.34) of time to surgery > 36 h, compared to patients on no antithrombotic medication. The median time to surgery for patients on DOACs was 39 h (IQR 24-48); for patients on no or other antithrombotic medication, time to surgery was 25 h (IQR 20-39) and 27 h (IQR 20-44), respectively. There were no differences in the proportion of patients who had perioperative blood transfusions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on DOACs are likely to experience delays to surgery compared to patients on no antithrombotic medication, beyond what patients on other antithrombotic medications may experience.