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Surgery for Unstable Chest Wall Injuries - How Many Fractures Should be Fixed?

NCT07338656 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 100

Last updated 2026-04-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this prospective, randomized study is to learn about the effects of two different surgical techniques for treating unstable chest wall injuries in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does fixing two fractures per rib lead to better healing than fixing one fracture per rib in patients with unstable chest injuries? Does the choice of surgical method affect lung function, pain, other symptoms, risk of pneumonia, or the risk of complications?

Participants will:

* Undergo surgery using either the standard method (fixing one fracture per rib) or an alternative method (fixing two fractures per rib), both using a muscle-sparing technique.
* Be followed up at 1, 3, and 12 months after surgery.
* Have CT scans at 3 months (and at 12 months if healing is incomplete) to assess bone healing.
* Be evaluated for lung function, pain, symptoms, and complications.

This study aims to provide new knowledge about which surgical method is best for unstable chest wall injuries, helping to improve treatment and recovery for these patients.

Conditions

  • Rib Fracture Multiple
  • Flail Chest

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Surgical stabilization of two fractures per rib

Surgical stabilization of two fractures per rib in an unstable chest wall segment.

PROCEDURE

Surgical stabilization of one fracture per rib.

Surgical stabilization of one fracture per rib in an unstable chest wall segment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Sahlgrenska University Hospital

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Eva-Corina Caragounis, Ph.D, Ass. Prof · Institution of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University. Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-05-05
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2028-12-31

Countries

  • Sweden

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07338656 on ClinicalTrials.gov