A Comparison of Casting and Splinting in Pediatric Radial Buckle Fractures

September 22, 2011 updated by: Washington University School of Medicine

Background: distal radial buckle fractures are common injuries in children. the ideal immobilization technique is controversial. Few, retrospective studies have been conducted to evaluate bone healing after casting versus splinting. However, the impact of the immobilization technique on daily function and comfort has not been evaluated.

Objective: To compare the impact on daily function, comfort and satisfaction of casting versus splinting in children with distal radial buckle fractures.

Primary Hypothesis: Children with short arm casts to immobilize a distal radial buckle fracture will have a greater reduction in daily activities compared to those immobilized with a volar splint.

Secondary Hypothesis: Children who are immobilized in a short arm cast will have less pain, less patient/parental satisfaction, more adverse effects, fewer follow-up visits, longer emergency department (ED) treatment time. Furthermore, we hypothesize that all fractures will have acceptable alignment/healing at the follow-up orthopaedic clinic evaluation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Methods: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted in children 2 to 17 years old with a radio graphically confirmed distal radial buckle fracture. Exclusion criteria will include skeletal maturity, previous distal radius fracture, concurrent other fracture(s), osteogenesis imperfecta or other metabolic bone disease. Enrolled subjects will be randomized to receive either a short arm cast or a volar wrist splint. The pediatric emergency department attending physician will be responsible for applying or directly supervising the immobilization technique. All subjects' radiographs will be reviewed by a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon with 1 day to confirm diagnosis and measure fracture angulation. Those subjects with unacceptable angulation will be called and asked to return to the ED or orthopaedic clinic for re-evaluation.

Outcomes Measures: The primary outcome measure will be the Peds QL questionnaire to assess impact on daily function. This will be assessed at baseline in the ED, by phone at 1 day, 3 days and 1 week after the ED visit, and at the orthopaedic clinic follow-up visit 3 weeks after the ED visit. Secondary outcome measures will include questionnaires assessing demographic data (baseline), pain, satisfaction, adverse effects (baseline, immediately after immobilization applied, 1 day, 3days and 1 week after ED visit by phone, and at the 3 week orthopaedic clinic follow-up visit), and ED treatment time (in ED prior to discharge). At the 3 week orthopaedic surgery clinic follow-up visit, an assessment of the integrity of the immobilization technique will be conducted by a cast technician and fracture alignment/healing and range of motion of affected arm will be conducted by the pediatric orthopaedic surgeon who will be blinded to treatment group.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Missouri
      • St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
        • St. Louis Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

2 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 2 - 17 years
  • radiographically confirmed distal radial buckle fracture

Exclusion Criteria:

  • skeletal maturity
  • previous distal radius fracture
  • concurrent other fracture
  • osteogenesis imperfecta or other metabolic bone disease

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Splint
Preformed velcro volar splints are compared to traditional circumferential casting.
Procedure: Volar Splint
A velcro volar splint is compared to a circumferential cast for the treatment of distal radial buckle fractures in children. These are to be worn until Pediatric Orthopaedics follows up with the patients at 3 weeks.
Other Names:
  • Biomed Volar Splint
Placebo Comparator: Cast
The circumferential cast is the standard of treatment against which the splint is compared.
Procedure: Cast
A velcro volar splint is compared to a circumferential cast for the treatment of distal radial buckle fractures in children. These are to be worn until Pediatric Orthopaedics follows up with the patients at 3 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The primary outcome measure will be the Peds QL questionnaire to assess impact on daily function.
Time Frame: Patients are followed for 3 weeks after the initial emergency encounter. They complete the PedsQL and answer questions by telephone.
Patients are followed for 3 weeks after the initial emergency encounter. They complete the PedsQL and answer questions by telephone.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Pain and satisfaction.
Time Frame: Patients and parents are queried via telephone at days 1, 3, and 7 after the initial emergency visit. They are questioned about pain scores and satisfaction with the immobilization device.
Patients and parents are queried via telephone at days 1, 3, and 7 after the initial emergency visit. They are questioned about pain scores and satisfaction with the immobilization device.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Washington University School of Medicine

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kristine Williams, MD, Washington University School of Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 10, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 26, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 22, 2011

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 05-1088

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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