Upper Extremity Post-op Splints: Do They Improve Post-operative Pain?

October 26, 2023 updated by: NYU Langone Health
The goal of this study is to determine if applying a rigid splint helps to reduce pain following operative fixation of upper extremity fractures. Orthopedic trauma surgeons currently vary in their application of rigid post-operative splints versus soft dressings after certain surgical procedures based on personal preference. In this study, 100 patients undergoing operative fixation of isolated both bone forearm, radial head, olecranon, distal humerus, or humeral shaft fractures will either receive a splint or soft dressing post-operatively. Their pain, medication usage and function will be tracked over the 2- week postoperative period to see if splinting has any impact on outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

122

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • NYU Langone Health

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Willing and able to participate in study and complete consent
  • Will undergo operative fixation of an isolated both bone forearm, radial head, olecranon, distal humerus fracture, or humeral shaft fracture.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant women
  • Patients with concomitant TBI or MR
  • Polytrauma patients
  • Pathologic Fractures
  • Patients undergoing treatment for malignancy
  • NYU SoM Students, Residents, Faculty
  • Prisoners
  • IV drug users or patients on chronic narcotics
  • Gun shot wound victims

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
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Splint
50 patients undergoing operative fixation of isolated bothbone forearm, radial head, olecranon, distal humerus, or humeral shaft fractures will either receive a splint.
Active Comparator: Soft Dressing
50 patients undergoing operative fixation of isolated both bone forearm, radial head, olecranon, distal humerus, or humeral shaft fractures will either receive a soft dressing post-operatively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percent change in Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: 14 Days
Best state you can imagine is marked 100and the worst state you can imagine is marked 0 on a line
14 Days
Percent Change in Euro Quality of Life (EQ-5D)
Time Frame: 14 Days
The descriptive system comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems. The patient is asked to indicate his/her health state by ticking the box next to the most appropriate statement in each of the five dimensions. This decision results in a 1-digit number that expresses the level selected for that dimension. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state.
14 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Philipp Leucht, MD, New York Langone Medical Center

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 (Actual)

November 8, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 26, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 26, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 27, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 26, 2023

Last Verified

October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 18-01505

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Requests should be directed to Philipp.Leucht@nyulangone.org To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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