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CompletedNCT02863289Updated Mar 7, 2019Results posted

The Outcomes of Proximal Humerus Fractures in Children

An observational study in Humeral Fractures, sponsored by NHS Tayside. Completed. Open to participants aged 10 Years to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-03-07.

Sponsored by NHS Tayside · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
118
Ages
10 Years to 18 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To date, the clinical benefits and harms of surgical intervention in proximal humerus fractures in children remain debatable. The practical question raised by orthopaedic surgeons is: for children and adolescent, are the clinical and radiological outcomes after non-operative management as equivalent as after surgical management for proximal humerus fractures? The investigators' hypothesis is that due to the healing potential of the proximal humerus, the outcome from this fracture is usually excellent.

The investigators have applied for Caldicott approval to identify a cohort of eligible patient from NHS Tayside's radiography service. With the community health index (CHI) number, the investigators can review all shoulder X-rays performed in children and adolescents, aged from 10 to 18-year-old in NHS Tayside, from 2008 to 2015. The Caldicott approval also allowed the investigators to obtain clinical communication from the Clinical Portal (electronic summary healthcare records). The investigators will then conduct mail questionnaires, based on the Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI). The investigators will send out invitation letter with participation information and the UEFI questionnaires to the eligible patients; with return postages. If no response within 2 weeks, the investigators will send out 1 further reminder. If no further response, the patient will be excluded from the study.

Read the detailed description

Proximal humerus fractures in children are relatively uncommon and most of them do not require surgical treatment due to the healing potential in children. The management of proximal humerus fractures in children subsequently underwent a major change with the introduction of surgical metal rod nailing. Despite that, the best criteria for choosing between these two treatment options are still not agreed upon. To date, the clinical benefits and harms of surgical intervention in proximal humerus fractures in children remain debatable. The investigators hypothesised that the outcomes of the non-operative management for proximal humerus fractures to remain excellent due to the healing ability of children. If good clinical results are achieved in our patient cohort, the investigators would like to send out the message that non-operative treatment for proximal humerus fractures in children should be recommended, even for those severely displaced fractures.

With Caldicott approval, the investigators can review the X-rays performed in children and adolescents, aged from 10 to 18-year-old in NHS Tayside, from 2008 to 2015. By using the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), the investigators will be able to identify the cohort of patients who had proximal humerus fractures from the X-rays. The Caldicott approval also allowed the investigators to obtain clinical communication from Clinical Portal. The identified potential participants will be approached by the paediatric orthopaedic team. An invitation letter, a participant information sheet and questionnaire, based on UEFI will be sent to all potential participants by the care team via post. If no response within 2 weeks, the investigators will send out 1 further reminder. If no further response, the patient will be excluded from the study.

02

Conditions studied

  • Humeral Fractures
03

In context

Fractures, Bone

2,261 studies on the registry are indexed under Fractures, Bone; 325 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 118 is above the median of 100 across 675 observational studies indexed under Fractures, Bone.

Browse Fractures, Bone studies →

Lead sponsor

NHS Tayside is the lead sponsor of 28 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
10 Years to 18 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Children aged from 10 to 18-year-old in NHS Tayside who had proximal humerus fractures during year 2008 to 2015.

Inclusion criteria

  • Within age limit
  • Had proximal humerus fracture within study year
  • Return questionnaire

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No proximal humerus fractures
  • Not return mail questionnaire
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
118 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Children with proximal humerus fractures

    Children aged from 10 to 18-year-old in NHS Tayside whom sustained proximal humerus fractures during year 2008 to 2015.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Indicated Status as Assessed by Mail Questionnaire Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI)

    Mail questionnaires based on the Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI) with return postages were sent out to the eligible cohort. UEFI range between 0 to 59, where the higher the UEFI, the better the functional outcomes.

    Time frame: From year 2008 to 2015

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Indicated Outcomes as Assessed by Radiological Parameters

    All shoulder X-rays performed in patients aged from 10 to 18-year-old and from 2008 to 2015 were reviewed. Radiological parameters, including degree of displacement and angulation; and any radiological residual deformities were recorded.

    Time frame: From year 2008 to 2015

07

Results

Posted Mar 7, 2019

Participant flow

From 01/11/2016 to 01/03/2017 in Tayside.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneChildren With Proximal Humerus Fractures
Started118
Completed35
Not completed83

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Participants With Indicated Status as Assessed by Mail Questionnaire Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI)

Mail questionnaires based on the Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI) with return postages were sent out to the eligible cohort. UEFI range between 0 to 59, where the higher the UEFI, the better the functional outcomes.

Time frame:
From year 2008 to 2015
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Indicated Status as Assessed by Mail Questionnaire Upper Extremities Functional Index (UEFI)
ParticipantsChildren With Proximal Humerus Fractures
Presence of Pain4
Any difference between injured and non-injured arm4
UEFI of 59 points24
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Indicated Outcomes as Assessed by Radiological Parameters

All shoulder X-rays performed in patients aged from 10 to 18-year-old and from 2008 to 2015 were reviewed. Radiological parameters, including degree of displacement and angulation; and any radiological residual deformities were recorded.

Time frame:
From year 2008 to 2015
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Indicated Outcomes as Assessed by Radiological Parameters
ParticipantsRadiological Outcomes
Surgical neck fracture91
Presence of displacement56
Presence of angulation84
Residual angulation at follow up55
Worsened angulation25

Adverse events

Collected over 4 months.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Children With Proximal Humerus Fractures—0/118 (0%)0/118 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Children With Proximal Humerus Fractures
<=18 years118
Between 18 and 65 years0
>=65 years0
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Children With Proximal Humerus Fractures
Mean12 (10 to 18)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Children With Proximal Humerus Fractures
Female56
Male62
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)Children With Proximal Humerus Fractures
United Kingdom118
08

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

09

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 7, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02863289
Lead sponsor
NHS Tayside
Responsible party
Ben Clift (Mr. Ben Clift, NHS Tayside) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 11, 2016
Start date
Oct 2016
Primary completion
Jan 2017
Completion
Mar 2017
Results posted
Mar 7, 2019
Last update
Mar 7, 2019

Study contacts

Jun Wei Lim
principal investigator · NHS Tayside

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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