Blood Titanium Analysis of Patients With MAGEC Spine Rods in the COVID-19 Environment

April 3, 2020 updated by: Dr Harry Hothi, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Magnetic Expansion Control (MAGEC) growth rods are used in the surgical treatment of children with scoliosis; the primary constituent metal alloy in these is titanium.

Since June 2019, the manufacturer has released two Urgent Field Safety Notices (FSN) relating to known issues with the function of the rods that increase the risk of early failure and unplanned revisions. The UK MHRA has issued two similar Medical Device Alerts (MDA) with the most recent MDA issued on 1st April 2020, stating that (1) MAGEC rods must not be implanted in the UK until further notice and (2) all patients already implanted with this device should be followed up as soon as is possible.

At the time of writing, hospitals across the world are facing incredible challenges in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, virtually all planned clinic visits for MAGEC rod patients and X-ray appointments have been postponed to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

Recent retrieval studies have shown that mechanical wear and corrosion of these rods is common, with a risk that the debris generated is released into surrounding tissue. This wear and corrosion is thought to be the primary cause of implant failures and the underlying implant factors leading to the issuing of FSNs and MDAs.

Whilst titanium is known to be highly biocompatible, the baseline and toxic levels of this alloy in biological fluids are poorly understood. Additionally, a better understanding of blood titanium levels in patients with MAGEC rods may enable this to become a biomarker of wear and corrosion of the rods. This may help surgeons identify earlier those patients who may develop implant related problems.

Furthermore, in the current COVID-19 environment, a blood test to measure titanium levels may be one of the most suitable ways in which to continue patient monitoring (and identify those at greatest risk of implant related issues), in the absence of regular clinic visits.

Previous work from the RNOH involved a similar study investigating patients with titanium hip implants.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

100

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

      • Stanmore, United Kingdom, HA74LP
        • Recruiting
        • Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Children being treated for early onset scoliosis.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients that have been treated with, and still have, a MAGEC rod.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients that do not have a MAGEC rod implant.

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

  • Observational Models: Case-Control
  • Time Perspectives: Retrospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Titanium level
Time Frame: Within 6 months
Within 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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 (Anticipated)

April 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

January 1, 2021

Study Completion (Anticipated)

March 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 3, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 3, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

April 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 7, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 3, 2020

Last Verified

April 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RNOH MAGEC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

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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