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Femur FractureNCT00916136

Skeletal Versus Cutaneous Traction For Treatment of Femur Fractures

A study testing Femoral Traction in people with Femur Fracture, run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are any differences in skeletal or cutaneous traction for the treatment of femur fractures. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Femur Fracture
What is being tested?
Femoral Traction
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
66 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 2009to Dec 2010
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patient willing to consent
  • 18 years of age or older
  • Sustained a diaphyseal femur fracture, open or closed
  • English competent
  • Isolated fracture on that extremity

Who cannot join

  • Pathologic fracture
  • Sedated patient
  • Polytrauma to same extremity
  • Unable or not willing to consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37232

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of Skeletal Versus Cutaneous Traction for Diaphyseal Femur Fractures

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are any differences in skeletal or cutaneous traction for the treatment of femur fractures.

Read the detailed description

Diaphyseal femur fractures are a common occurrence in busy level one trauma centers and even in the age of damage control orthopaedics most of these fractures are fixed definitively within 24 hours. The historical method of temporizing these fractures has been to place a distal femoral or proximal tibial skeletal traction pin. However, in the pediatric population skeletal traction is not utilized due to concern for physeal injury and cutaneous traction has been the gold standard for decades. Reasons for skeletal traction in adults are not well defined and there are no clinical studies showing that skeletal traction provides better outcomes in time of reduction in the operating theater or better pain control than cutaneous traction. With the ever increasing amount of high energy trauma seen by junior residents in the emergency department time constraints have become a large factor in patient care. Long delays for sedation and equipment procurement make stabilizing a diaphyseal femur fracture a time consuming experience. The purpose of this study is to determine whether differences exist between skeletal and cutaneous femoral traction in terms of: 1) time in patient consultation and fracture stabilization; 2) cost and risk to the patient due to lack of conscious sedation; 3) pain scores prior to surgery; 4) time of reduction of the diaphyseal femur fraction during surgical fixation; and 5) pain relief after traction application.

Conditions
Femur Fracture
Being tested
Femoral Traction
Keywords
Pre-operative Traction, Traction, Proximal Femur Fracture, Femoral Fractures, Femoral Fracture, Skeletal Traction, Cutaneous Traction
Medical subject headings
Femoral Fractures, Proximal Femoral Fractures

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Femoral TractionProcedure or surgery

    Also called Bucks Traction, Traction Pins, Cutaneous Traction, Skeletal Traction

    Femoral Traction is a temporary intervention to realign the broken bone and help relieve pressure and muscle spasms until operative fixation.

Study groups in NCT00916136
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Cutaneous TractionActive comparatorApplied by using a strap on boot that attaches to the leg. A rope is attached to the boot. Weight is attached to the rope to use gravity to pull traction. The traction is left in place until patient is taken to surgery for reduction of the femur fracture.
Receives: Procedure: Femoral Traction
Skeletal TractionActive comparatorA small incision is made on the inside of the knee and a pin is surgically inserted through the bone. Weights are then attached that will pull traction on the broken femur. This traction pin will stay in until patient is taken to surgery for reduction of the femur fracture.
Receives: Procedure: Femoral Traction

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Difference in the Two Groups in Regards to Resident Time.

    Time from consult entered to time traction apparatus is applied.

    Measured: while in Emergency Department (ED) up to 24 hours

  2. Time to Pass Guidewire After Attaining Starting Point

    Time to pass guidewire across reduced fracture once opening reamer is used in OR

    Measured: while in Emergency Department (ED) up to 24 hours

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted9 Jun 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2009
  3. Primary completionDec 2010
  4. Study completionDec 2010

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
66 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00916136
Sponsor's protocol ID
081299
Status last verified
Apr 2017
First submitted
5 Jun 2009
Last updated
30 May 2017
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Parker MJ, Handoll HH. Pre-operative traction for fractures of the proximal femur in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jul 19;(3):CD000168. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000168.pub2.

    PubMed 16855952

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Femoral Traction in people with Femur Fracture, run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 May 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 8 Jul 2014). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Difference in the Two Groups in Regards to Resident Time. (time frame: while in Emergency Department (ED) up to 24 hours). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00916136, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 May 2017.

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