Static Helical Screw Locking of Pertrochanteric Femur Fractures Using the TFN-A

NCT ID: NCT04851509

Last Updated: 2025-02-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

218 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-05-17

Study Completion Date

2027-01-31

Brief Summary

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The study will investigate the shortening and collapse of pertrochanteric fractures following surgical management with the TFN-Advanced nailing system. The focus will be on comparing radiographic assessments of nails which have been statically locked versus dynamically locked. This is a randomized control study with the initial invention being randomized to either statically locking or dynamically locking. For a two-month period, all eligible patients will receive the randomized allocated treatment, then treatment will switch to the alternate treatment for the next two months and will continue to alternate treatments for two-month periods until study enrollment has completed.

Detailed Description

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Hip fractures are common injuries in the elderly population that result in significant morbidity and mortality and a significant burden on health care systems. Hip fractures can be treated with arthroplasty or with internal fixation, depending on the fracture pattern. Cephalomedullary nailing (CMN) has become one of the established treatments for intertrochanteric hip fractures with a wide variety of implant designs from many different companies. The TFN-ADVANCED™ Proximal femoral nailing system (TFN-A) is a novel implant for treating intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric proximal femur fractures with a paucity of published literature on the performance of this implant.

A method to decrease the amount of fracture compression is to use the set screw to lock the screw "statically" so it does not slide to the same degree as if the screw is placed in the "dynamic" or sliding position. To the knowledge of the investigators, the role of statically locking the screw to prevent fracture collapse has not been studied. Statically locking CMN to treat hip fractures has become standard of care at the Royal Columbian Hospital with all the investigating surgeons having adopted this practice in an attempt to prevent significant fracture collapse and neck shortening. Anecdotally, the investigators have not seen significant rates of cephalic screw cut-out over the past five years, and believe the investigators' screw cut-out rates are lower than what is reported in the literature. The investigators have been using the Gamma Nail (Stryker) to statically lock the screw as the previous TFN lacked the ability for static locking. However, with the advent of the TFN-A, the investigators have adopted this implant as their long cephalomedullary nail of choice for fixation of pertrochanteric femur fractures.

Conditions

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Pertrochanteric Fracture

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Randomized trial design utilizing alternating treatment allocation to assign patients to treatment arms, treatment allocations will last for two months at a time.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors
Surgeons cannot be blinded to the treatment allocation of the surgical intervention due to having to perform the static or dynamic rotational lock. Participants will be blinded to the form of locking they receive. Research personnel completing the outcome measures will be blinded. Data analyst(s) and the radiographic reviewer(s) will be blinded to the treatment arm.

Study Groups

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Dynamic rotational locking

Using a fracture table, the affected leg will be placed into traction and the patient will be prepped and draped in the usual fashion. The fracture will be provisionally reduced using closed techniques. A 3cm incision will be used to gain access to the intramedullary canal and the nail (either a short nail or long nail, at the discretion of the treating surgeon) will be introduced to the femur. The screw will be placed across the fracture and into the femoral head, aiming for a tip-to-apex distance less than 25mm. The compression nut will be used to compress the fracture. The screw will be rotationally locked by using the 5mm hex flexible screwdriver by advancing the set screw until it stops completely. The screw will then be turned counterclockwise by a ½ turn.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Dynamic Rotational Locking

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Performed, as per the Synthes technique guide, using the 5mm hex flexible set screwdriver and then loosening the set screw by one-half turn of the screwdriver.

Static locking

Using a fracture table, the affected leg will be placed into traction and the patient will be prepped and draped in the usual fashion. The fracture will be provisionally reduced using closed techniques. A 3cm incision will be used to gain access to the intramedullary canal and the nail (either a short nail or long nail, at the discretion of the treating surgeon) will be introduced to the femur. The screw will be placed across the fracture and into the femoral head, aiming for a tip-to-apex distance of less than 25mm. The compression nut will be used to compress the fracture. The screw will then be statically locked using the 6Nm torque-limiting blue handle with 6mm hex coupling to completely lock the set screw down on the helical screw.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Static Locking

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Performed by using the torque-limiting set screwdriver and locking the set screw down onto the helical screw to prevent dynamic sliding of the screw within the nail.

Interventions

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Dynamic Rotational Locking

Performed, as per the Synthes technique guide, using the 5mm hex flexible set screwdriver and then loosening the set screw by one-half turn of the screwdriver.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Static Locking

Performed by using the torque-limiting set screwdriver and locking the set screw down onto the helical screw to prevent dynamic sliding of the screw within the nail.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients \>18 years of age
* AO/OTA 31-A fractures who the surgeon deems eligible for treatment with a cephalomedullary nail
* Open and closed fractures
* Ambulatory prior to injury (with or without walking aides)
* Native (non-fractured, no implant) contralateral hip
* Willing and able to sign consent (substitute decision maker)

Exclusion Criteria

* Contralateral hip fracture or hip arthroplasty
* Fracture not amenable to treatment with a cephalomedullary nail
* Non-ambulatory patient
* Fractures \>14 days (time of injury to OR)
* Bilateral pertrochanteric hip fractures
* Non-unions
* Pathologic fractures
* Periprosthetic fractures
* Patients with spinal injury
* Incarceration
* Pregnancy
* Limited life expectancy due to significant medical co-morbidities or medical contra-indications to surgery
* Likely problems, in the judgement of the investigators, with maintaining follow-up (i.e., patients with no fixed address, report a plan to move out of town, or intellectually challenged patients without adequate family support).
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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DePuy Synthes

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fraser Orthopaedic Research Society

NETWORK

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Bertrand Perey, MD, FRCSC

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Royal Columbian Hospital/Fraser Health Authority

David Cinats, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Orthopaedic Surgeon, Fraser Health Authority

Locations

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Royal Columbian Hospital/Fraser Health Authority

New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Canada

Central Contacts

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Kyrsten Butterfield, BSc

Role: CONTACT

604-553-3247

Facility Contacts

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Kyrsten Butterfield, BSc

Role: primary

604-553-3247

References

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Kanis JA, Oden A, McCloskey EV, Johansson H, Wahl DA, Cooper C; IOF Working Group on Epidemiology and Quality of Life. A systematic review of hip fracture incidence and probability of fracture worldwide. Osteoporos Int. 2012 Sep;23(9):2239-56. doi: 10.1007/s00198-012-1964-3. Epub 2012 Mar 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22419370 (View on PubMed)

Zickel RE. A new fixation device for subtrochanteric fractures of the femur: a preliminary report. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1967 Sep-Oct;54:115-23. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 5589594 (View on PubMed)

Stapert JW, Geesing CL, Jacobs PB, de Wit RJ, Vierhout PA. First experience and complications with the long Gamma nail. J Trauma. 1993 Mar;34(3):394-400. doi: 10.1097/00005373-199303000-00015.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8483181 (View on PubMed)

Lecerf G, Fessy MH, Philippot R, Massin P, Giraud F, Flecher X, Girard J, Mertl P, Marchetti E, Stindel E. Femoral offset: anatomical concept, definition, assessment, implications for preoperative templating and hip arthroplasty. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2009 May;95(3):210-9. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2009.03.010. Epub 2009 May 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19423418 (View on PubMed)

Paul O, Barker JU, Lane JM, Helfet DL, Lorich DG. Functional and radiographic outcomes of intertrochanteric hip fractures treated with calcar reduction, compression, and trochanteric entry nailing. J Orthop Trauma. 2012 Mar;26(3):148-54. doi: 10.1097/BOT.0b013e31821e3f8c.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21918483 (View on PubMed)

Yoo JH, Kim TY, Chang JD, Kwak YH, Kwon YS. Factors influencing functional outcomes in united intertrochanteric hip fractures: a negative effect of lag screw sliding. Orthopedics. 2014 Dec;37(12):e1101-7. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20141124-58.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25437085 (View on PubMed)

Gausden EB, Sin D, Levack AE, Wessel LE, Moloney G, Lane JM, Lorich DG. Gait Analysis After Intertrochanteric Hip Fracture: Does Shortening Result in Gait Impairment? J Orthop Trauma. 2018 Nov;32(11):554-558. doi: 10.1097/BOT.0000000000001283.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30239477 (View on PubMed)

Bishop JA, Palanca AA, Bellino MJ, Lowenberg DW. Assessment of compromised fracture healing. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2012 May;20(5):273-82. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-20-05-273.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22553099 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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FHREB#: 2021-015

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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