Effects of Potent Anticholinergics, Sedatives and Antipsychotics on Postoperative Mortality in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture A Retrospective, Population-Based Study Jorma Panula, 1 Juha Puustinen, 2 Pekka Jaatinen, 3 Tero Vahlberg, 4 Pertti Aarnio 5,6 and Sirkka-Liisa Kivela 7,8 1 Department of Surgery, Pori City Hospital, Pori, Finland 2 Department of Neurology, Satakunta Central Hospital, Pori, Finland 3 Rauma Health Office, Rauma, Finland 4 Department of Biostatistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland 5 Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland 6 Department of Surgery, Satakunta Central Hospital, Pori, Finland 7 Department of Family Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland 8 Unit of Family Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital and Satakunta Central Hospital, Pori, Finland Abstract Background: Concomitant use of several medications for somatic and mental disorders is common in elderly people and increases the risk of falls, with hip fracture being the most serious consequence. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe relationships between use of sedatives, antipsychotics or potent anticholinergics and postoperative mortality in patients with hip fractures. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on population-based data collected during a 2-year period from 1999 to 2000 on 461 hip fracture surgery patients aged ‡65 years in Finland. Information on co-morbidities and intake of sedatives, antipsychotics and potent anticholinergics was obtained from the original patient records. Information on deaths was obtained from the official death statistics in Finland. Results: In men, use of potent anticholinergics was associated with excess age-adjusted mortality at 30 days, 3 months, 6 months and 3 years, but not in women at any timepoint. Use of potent anticholinergic drugs emerged as an independent predictor of excess mortality in men at 3 months and 3 years. Presence of cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease were indepen- dent risk factors for excess mortality at 6 months and 3 years in men. In addition, chronic lung disease independently predicted excess mortality at 30 days. ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Drugs Aging 2009; 26 (11): 963-971 1170-229X/09/0011-0963/$49.95/0 ª 2009 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved.