SMART Dressing for Hypertrophic Scar Treatment Post-Total Knee/Hip Arthroplasty

Knee Arthropathy Clinical Trial

Official title: Effectiveness of a Combined Adequate Pressure and Silicone Intervention in Comparison With Conventional Pressure for Hypertrophic Scar Treatment

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Pressure therapy (PT) and silicone therapy are recommended as first-line non-invasive treatment for Hypertrophic Scar (HS), yet the effectiveness of the combination of these two treatments through an RCT trial has not been established yet. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the combination of adequate pressure therapy and silicone gel sheeting implemented by Smart Scar Care Pad (SSCP) + conventional Pressure Garment (PG) versus conventional Pressure Garment (PG) alone in the management of HS in adult with total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR). This study also aims to find out the prevalence of hypertrophic scar among patients with THR and TKR. This study is a randomised controlled trial with two parallel arms, with allocation ratio (Experimental: Control) of 1: 1 in order to establish the superiority of SSCP + PG over PG. Subjects with hypertrophic scar will be randomly assigned to either treatment or control group. The subjects in the treatment group will be provided with the SSCP and PG for treatment, whereas the subjects in the control group will be prescribed only the PG. The treatment will last for a total of 6 months. A variety of objective outcome measures will be used to analysis the treatment effect.

Clinical Trial Description

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a challenging yet common complication of dermal injuries such as burns, surgeries, and trauma. It is characterized as a raised, rigid, hyper-vascular, and abnormally pigmented scar confined within the border of the initial injury. The induced aesthetic defect and impaired physical function could adversely affect quality of life.1 Pressure therapy (PT) and silicone therapy are recommended as first-line non-invasive treatments HS.

Recent reviews suggested PT was able to decrease scar height and erythema3,4. The inconclusive outcome results from fact that seldom research address the issue of adequate pressure dosage, which is essential for the treatment effect of PT. It is recommended that an interface pressure of 15-25 mmHg should be given and maintained through a 23 hrs/day wearing regime in order to achieve optimal treatment outcomes5. However, maintaining adequate pressure dosage through pressure garment alone is usually uncomfortable and sometimes impossible, especially over bodily concave area. Therefore, pressure inserts are used in conjunction with pressure garment to increase local pressure6. Despite the documented use of pressure inserts in various journals, pressure garment alone remains the mainstream treatment for hypertrophic scar.

Cochrane review conducted on silicone gel sheet (SGS) revealed SGS's ability in reducing scar thickness and improving scar color, but insufficient data on its effect on scar pliability5. SGS are commonly used to occlude and provide hydration to scar tissues.5, 6 They are mainly used for small scars or surgical scars. They are generally costly and thin in physical form, rendering them incapable of exerting sufficient pressure.

The joint effectiveness of these two treatment modalities in scar management is always drawing the interests from researchers. Various studies reported that enhanced effectiveness could be achieved through the combination of PT and SGS especially in terms of scar pliability, though all subjectively measured6-8. Therefore, there is an urging need to establish the effectiveness of the combination of these two treatments through an RCT.

In order to address the adequate pressure as well as the silicone gel sheeting effect at the same time, a newly invented insert material, the Smart Scar Care Pad (SSCP), is adopted in this study as treatment modality. The Smart Scar Care Pad is especially designed with a rubbery silicone stiffener layer and medical grade silicone gel lining layer underneath. The medical grade silicone gel lining layer underneath serves as the occlusion layer. The rubbery silicone stiffener layer is designed with numerous studs. By cutting the individual studs into gradient height, the Smart Scar Care Pad (SSCP), creates tailor made localized pressure under pressure garment. Studs are also aligned in honey cone style in order to maximize conformability over different bodily contours. In that case, the Smart Scar Care Pad (SSCP) not only increases local pressure but also provides occlusion to HS tissue. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cicatrix, Hypertrophic
• Hip Arthropathy
• Hypertrophic Scar
• Hypertrophy
• Joint Diseases
• Knee Arthropathy

• NCT number: NCT03849274
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Early Phase 1
• Start date: January 31, 2020
• Completion date: July 31, 2021