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A Prospective Study to Determine the Effectiveness of Reaming in Reducing Fat Emboli to the Lungs

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University of Kentucky

Status

Completed

Conditions

Diaphyseal Femur Fracture

Treatments

Procedure: echocardiography
Procedure: Transesophageal transducer

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT00327158
06-0296-F1V

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to see if there is a difference in the amount of fat droplets reaching the heart during surgery between the standard reamer currently used and a new reamer system which is expected to reduce the fat going into the blood, via an intraoperative echocardiography done through the food pipe.

Full description

Reamed intramedullary nailing of diaphyseal femur fractures remains the standard of care for treatment of these fractures. Pressurization of the femoral canal during reaming leads to extra vasations of fat emboli into the systemic circulation, resulting in deposition of fat droplets in the pulmonary vasculature. This phenomenon has been well documented by use of Transesophageal Echocardiography. A novel reaming system has recently become available that may limit this phenomenon. The new reamer system incorporates irrigation and aspiration during reaming, theoretically minimizing pressurization and fat emboli. Additionally, this reamer system allows for one pass reaming as compared to the current system which requires multiple reaming passes.

The objective of this study is to determine effectiveness of reaming in diminishing fat emboli to the lungs as evidenced by decreased numbers of large fat droplets entering the right heart as measured by transesophageal echocardiography during the reaming process. This will determine if there is a benefit to aspiration during reaming as would be expected.

During the reaming process a transesophageal echo cardiogram will be performed to analyze the presence or absence of emboli and the mean regarding the total time that each of the embolic grades is present during each of the intervals across the patient groups

Enrollment

24 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • diaphyseal femur fractures undergoing reamed intramedullary nailing
  • male or female
  • 18 years of age or older

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

None (Open label)

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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