A Randomized Trial Comparing Conventional Plaster and Thermoplastic Splints to Treat Pediatric Boxer's Fractures

Splints Clinical Trial

Official title:

Conventional Plaster Versus Thermoplastic Splint for the Treatment of a Pediatric Metacarpal Neck Fracture: a Randomized Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01759758
• Other study ID #: IWK-1012457
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: December 30, 2012
• Last updated: January 12, 2016
• Start date: December 2012
• Est. completion date: June 2014

Study information

• Verified date: January 2016
• Source: IWK Health Centre
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Canada: Ethics Review Committee
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The investigators are conducting a randomized clinical trial comparing two types of splints for treatment of Boxer's fractures in children up to age 17 inclusive. Patients who meet inclusion criteria will be randomized to either Group A or B. Group A will be treated with the conventional plaster ulnar gutter splint. Group B will be treated with a custom molded thermoplastic hand-based splint. The thermoplastic splint will provide support of the metacarpal but does not immobilize the patient's wrist or interphalangeal joints.

Hypothesis: Is plaster splint immobilization an equivalent treatment method to a custom made thermoplastic splint for a fifth metacarpal neck fracture? Will one splint be tolerated better than the other and will the compliance be different between the two groups?

Description:

Nearly all Boxer's fractures are treated without surgery using a splint to keep part or all of the hand from moving (immobilization). There are several acceptable methods of immobilization used by hand surgeons, using splints of different sizes and materials for variable periods of time(1-6).

A recent systematic review from The Cochrane Collaboration found the current data to be inconclusive with regards to the optimal immobilization technique and highlighted the need for further studies(2). Specifically, it was recommended that future studies include functional outcome measures, timing of return to work, complications, pain scores, and an economic analysis.

The current practice at the investigators' institution is for patients to be splinted in a plaster ulnar gutter splint, in the Emergency Department and referred to the next available plastic surgery clinic. If needed, a closed reduction would be performed in clinic, if there was a significant angulation (greater than 45 degrees) or any clinical rotation deformity. The most common method of immobilization involves placing the wrist, ring finger and little finger all the way from the fingertips to the mid-forearm in molded plaster called an ulnar gutter splint. The splint is left on 24 hours a day for 3 to 4 weeks and then removed in the clinic.

Many patients find it difficult to keep the splint on for the full 3 to 4 weeks for a number of reasons. The plaster needs to stay dry, making it awkward to bathe. The splint can also get loose and rub as the swelling around the fracture gets better. The splint can also start to smell because sweat builds up under it. Some patients find the plaster material heavy, making it difficult to wear. Finally, many patients are self-conscious about the appearance of the splint and remove it for this reason alone. In the investigators' experience, up to 1 out of 5 patients will remove the splint on their own against doctor's orders for one reason or another. When patients do follow instructions and keep the splint on 24 hours a day for 3 to 4 weeks, this can lead to joint stiffness when the splint is removed. Some patients may even require physiotherapy to regain their normal finger movement and grip strength.

It is unknown if the ulnar gutter splint is really the best way to immobilize the hand after a Boxer's fracture. It is unknown what material is best for making the splint, whether it is truly necessary to keep the entirety of the wrist and ring and little fingers still, and for how long the hand and fingers should be kept still. Most surgeons recommend patients wear a splint for 3 to 4 weeks.

The investigators would like to determine if a smaller splint made of more durable, lighter moldable plastic that allows earlier movement of the hand and fingers while still keeping the fracture from moving gives the same result as the commonly used ulnar gutter splint.

Functional Hand Based Splint (Thermoplastic Splint) The functional hand-based splint is made of custom molded hard plastic and is fitted over the hand only. A thermoplastic splint is made from plastic that is heated and custom-fitted to the subject's hand, which hardens when it cools. This thermoplastic splint is custom fitted by an occupational therapist such that all joints are free to move. The splint does not limit the patient from moving their wrist or fingers while wearing it. It is custom molded such that it fits snuggly over the patient's hand and holds the fracture in a stable position.

Several adult studies have found this type of custom molded splint superior to either surgical treatment and/or plaster splint immobilization because it resulted in less stiffness, better movement after splint removal, and no increased pain (4-7). The investigators are not aware of any comparative studies done in pediatric patients.

Compliance Patient compliance for wearing their splint for the prescribed during can be a problem. At the investigators' institution, there is a non-compliance rate of approximately 15 to 20 % for Boxer's fracture patients. The investigators hypothesize that the hand-based splint will be better tolerated by patients and therefore result in a higher rate of compliance for the prescribed duration that the plaster splint. Also, the thermoplastic splint will not be damaged if it gets wet, which may translate into fewer additional visits to the clinic or emergency department to have the splint replaced.

This study will be a randomized, single-blinded controlled trial. The randomization of the two splint types will be determined by a computer-based number generator. The patients will know what type of splint they have, but the plastic surgeons and physiotherapist who examine and test the subjects ROM and grip strength will not know the type of splint for each subject.

Patients will be randomized to one of the two groups at their first clinic visit, within 7 days of their injury. They will have their splint placed at this visit and are to wear the splint at all times for 3 weeks. Subjects will return to clinic at 1, 3, 6, and 12 weeks to be reassessed. Specified outcome measures (primary and secondary) will be tested at each visit.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 40
• Est. completion date: June 2014
• Est. primary completion date: June 2014
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A to 16 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Isolated 5th metacarpal neck fracture

• Less than 10 days from injury

Exclusion Criteria:

• Multiple Metacarpal fractures

• Significant injuries to other hand structures (tendons, nerves, major arteries)

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Bone Fractures
• Boxer's Fracture
• Fractures, Bone
• Metacarpal Fracture
• Splints

Intervention

Other:
• Plaster Ulnar Gutter Splint
Patients are placed in a plaster ulnar gutter splint, molded in the safe position.
• Thermoplastic Splint
Thermoplastic Splint is heat moulded to the patient's hand, stabilizing the metacarpal heads, but not immobilizing any joints. This is done by our occupational therapist.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	IWK Health Centre	Halifax	Nova Scotia

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
IWK Health Centre

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

References & Publications (12)

Braakman M, Oderwald EE, Haentjens MH. Functional taping of fractures of the 5th metacarpal results in a quicker recovery. Injury. 1998 Jan;29(1):5-9. — View Citation

Hansen PB, Hansen TB. The treatment of fractures of the ring and little metacarpal necks. A prospective randomized study of three different types of treatment. J Hand Surg Br. 1998 Apr;23(2):245-7. — View Citation

Harding IJ, Parry D, Barrington RL. The use of a moulded metacarpal brace versus neighbour strapping for fractures of the little finger metacarpal neck. J Hand Surg Br. 2001 Jun;26(3):261-3. — View Citation

Hofmeister EP, Kim J, Shin AY. Comparison of 2 methods of immobilization of fifth metacarpal neck fractures: a prospective randomized study. J Hand Surg Am. 2008 Oct;33(8):1362-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2008.04.010. — View Citation

Hunter JM, Cowen NJ. Fifth metacarpal fractures in a compensation clinic population. A report on one hundred and thirty-three cases. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1970 Sep;52(6):1159-65. — View Citation

Konradsen L, Nielsen PT, Albrecht-Beste E. Functional treatment of metacarpal fractures 100 randomized cases with or without fixation. Acta Orthop Scand. 1990 Dec;61(6):531-4. — View Citation

Kuokkanen HO, Mulari-Keränen SK, Niskanen RO, Haapala JK, Korkala OL. Treatment of subcapital fractures of the fifth metacarpal bone: a prospective randomised comparison between functional treatment and reposition and splinting. Scand J Plast Reconstr Surg Hand Surg. 1999 Sep;33(3):315-7. — View Citation

Lerman JA, Sullivan E, Barnes DA, Haynes RJ. The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and functional assessment of patients with unilateral upper extremity deficiencies. J Pediatr Orthop. 2005 May-Jun;25(3):405-7. — View Citation

Poolman RW, Goslings JC, Lee JB, Statius Muller M, Steller EP, Struijs PA. Conservative treatment for closed fifth (small finger) metacarpal neck fractures. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Jul 20;(3):CD003210. Review. — View Citation

Sawyer JR, Ivie CB, Huff AL, Wheeler C, Kelly DM, Beaty JH, Canale ST. Emergency room visits by pediatric fracture patients treated with cast immobilization. J Pediatr Orthop. 2010 Apr-May;30(3):248-52. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0b013e3181d213bc. — View Citation

Statius Muller MG, Poolman RW, van Hoogstraten MJ, Steller EP. Immediate mobilization gives good results in boxer's fractures with volar angulation up to 70 degrees: a prospective randomized trial comparing immediate mobilization with cast immobilization. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2003 Dec;123(10):534-7. Epub 2003 Aug 28. — View Citation

Strub B, Schindele S, Sonderegger J, Sproedt J, von Campe A, Gruenert JG. Intramedullary splinting or conservative treatment for displaced fractures of the little finger metacarpal neck? A prospective study. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2010 Nov;35(9):725-9. doi: 10.1177/1753193410377845. Epub 2010 Jul 21. — View Citation

* Note: There are 12 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Range of Motion	The active and passive Range of Motion (ROM) will be tested at 3 time points, for all fingers and the wrist	up to 12 weeks	No
Primary	Compliance	The compliance rate of subjects in each group wearing the splint at all times for the prescribed duration (3 weeks) will be assessed.	3 weeks post fracture	No
Secondary	Pain	Pain, reported on a Visual Analog Scale, will be assessed at specified time points	1, 3, 6, and 12 weeks post fracture	No
Secondary	Complications	Loss of fracture reduction, malunion or non-union will be monitored throughout the study	3, 6, and 12 weeks	No
Secondary	Validated Outcome Questionnaire	Patients will complete the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) at several time points	3, 6, and 12 weeks	No
Secondary	Grip Strength	Patients will have their grip strength measured for the injured and non-injured hand at 6 and 12 weeks post fracture	6 and 12 weeks	No
Secondary	Radiographic assessment of fracture	An X-ray of the injured had will be done in 3 views. This will be assessed by one of the investigators, in a blinded fashion. They will determine the angulation and assess for evidence of bony healing	12 weeks post fracture	No