Pre-operative Nutrition In Neck of femur Trial (POINT)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility and metabolic effects of carbohydrate loading in patients with fragility hip fracture - a randomised double blind pilot study
IRAS ID
127201
Contact name
Iain Moppett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham,Research Innovation Services
Research summary
Hip fracture is a Common injury affecting predominantly old people. The outcome for patients is often poor with a high mortality following operation, and worsening of mobility and function when compared with that before the injury.
It has long been recognized that trauma due to surgery or accident is associated with changes in the way muscles use fuels such as sugar (glucose). These changes come on soon after injury and persist for some time and may have harmful effects on recovery and muscle strength.
We also know that poor muscle function is a predictor of poor outcome in the days and months following hip fracture.
Researchers in the field of elective surgery have found that providing patients with special carbohydrate drinks before their operation can improve muscle sugar use and have beneficial effects in the postoperative period.
However, due to the nature of hip fracture, which is operated on urgently, and in a frail population who are often in pain, providing preoperative drinks may be difficult.
The muscle of older people behaves differently to that of younger people so we don’t know whether these drinks will have the same effect. Potentially, if we can find out what effect these drinks have on the way muscles behave; this may provide avenues of future research into the optimal way to enhance muscle function following hip fracture.
To do this, we wish to study a group of hip fracture patients. We wish to find out what happens to the way their bodies deal with sugar if they have these drinks or if they have normal care without the drinks.
We would do this by simple blood tests, and by taking some small tissue samples from leg muscles before and after their operation. Part of the study will also be looking at the practical issues around providing these sorts of drinks to this patient group.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EM/0214
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion