Dexamethasone on Admission for Prevention of Perioperative dElirium in hip fRacture surgery

Project Status:

Planned

Steering committee

Daniel Hägi-Pedersen, Morten Vester-Andersen, Ann Merete Møller, Nicolai Bang Foss, Søren Overgaard, Thomas Johannesson Hjelholt.

Charlotte Levy Hansen is affilliated as a ph.d.-fellow.

Status

The project is in the protocol phase and funding is actively sought. Collection of pre-approval forms from interested departments is underway,

Design

The DAPPER Trial is a national, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multicenter study investigating the effect of high-dose pre- and perioperative Dexamethasone on postoperative delirium in patients with hip fractures.

Treatment is initiated upon diagnosis of a hip fracture and repeated at the induction of anaesthesia, for a total of 48 mg Dexamethasone (24 mg x 2). The study seeks to include patients under acute research frameworks, utilizing a legal proxy for consent.

Exclusion criteria include a body weight under 48 kg, allergy to Dexamethasone, or a known refusal to participate in research studies.

The DAPPER Trial is part of a broader, multi-pronged research strategy, with several preparatory studies already underway:

  • A protocol for a systematic review on the effects, side effects, and adverse events associated with perioperative steroid treatment is currently under peer review

  • A Danish survey on the diagnosis and treatment of delirium in hip fracture patients is in the initial phase

  • A national cohort study is in the protocol development stage