CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03588689Updated May 21, 2019

Continuous Fascia Iliaca Block for Acute Hip Fractures

A Phase 4 interventional study of Continuous fascia iliaca block and Ropivacaine in Hip Fractures, Neuromuscular Blockade and Respiratory Morbidity, sponsored by University of Saskatchewan. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-05-21.

Sponsored by University of Saskatchewan · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly with over 30,000 hip fractures occuring in Canada annually and over 1300 in Saskatchewan. The estimated cost associated with hip fractures is over $600 million nationally and 28 million dollars in Saskatchewan. Hip fractures cause a great deal of pain and immobility and are mainly treated with surgical fixation. In the perioperative period, hip fracture patients are treated mainly with opioids and other adjuncts such as NSAIDS and acetaminophen. Opioid consumption in the elderly population can predispose to delirium and respiratory complications such as atelectasis, respiratory depression, and pneumonia.

Fascia iliaca blocks have been shown to be an effective mode of analgesia for patients with hip fractures, but are underutilized for varying reasons including culture of practice, expertise with performing the block, and having a dedicated service to do so.

This study aims to compare the efficacy of fascia iliaca blocks to standard treatment (opioids) in the management of pain in hip fracture patients with a particular focus on outcomes such as the incidence of delirium, respiratory complications, and length of stay in hospital. Our idea is that if we can reduce the amount of opioids these patients receive then they will have improved pain control, fewer respiratory complications, earlier time to mobilizing, and shorter hospital stays. As far as we are aware this relation has not been well studied.

Read the detailed description

This study is a prospective randomized controlled non-blinded pilot study.

Recruitment and Randomization: fifty adult patients with hip fractures for surgical fixation presenting to Royal University Hospital (RUH), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, will be recruited. The exclusion criteria are:

  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score >3
  • Other injuries that interfere with block positioning and assessment of pain
  • Local anesthetic allergy
  • Open fracture
  • Moderate to severe pre-operative delirium (interfering with consent and assessment)
  • Sepsis at site of injection
  • Anticoagulation with warfarin or anti-Xa inhibitors
  • Age less than 65 years

Patients will be randomized into one of two research arms: Continuous Fascia Iliaca block (cFIB) vs standard treatment (opioids). It is important to note here is that patients receiving cFIBs will have standard treatment orders available in the event of block failure, and opioid consumption will be monitored.

Methods:

Patients with hip fractures presenting to RUH will be approached by a member of the study team for consent to participate in the study. After consent is obtained patients will be randomised to either arm of the study group. The cFIB group will receive an ultrasound guided cFIB and standard treatment orders as backup in the event of block failure. The standard treatment group will receive only standard treatment orders which include a combination of opioids, NSAIDS, acetaminophen, and other adjuncts for analgesia.

The CFIB group will receive an initial bolus of 40 cc of 0.125% Ropivacaine followed by an infusion of 10 cc/hr of 0.2% ropivacaine until the time of surgery. Immediately pre-operatively, the anesthesiologist performing the case will bolus the catheter with 40 cc of 0.125% ropivacaine and discontinue the catheter.

Data collection: Demographic and epidemiologic data will be collected for both groups at the time of recruitment. Patients will be followed from the time of enrollment until the time of discharge from hospital. A member of the study team will visit daily and assess the patients for delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)-ICU tool, which is a validated delirium assessment tool. Pain scores will be obtained after block insertion and twice a day until surgical fixation takes place. Pain scores will be assessed in the supine, semi recumbent, and upright position, and with active movement. Opioid consumption will be recorded as morphine equivalents for the entire length of hospital stay. The incidence of side effects of opioids will be recorded including : Nausea, vomiting, pruritis, constipation, and urinary retention.

The length of time from surgery until ready to discharge will be recorded.

It is difficult to directly measure respiratory complications. As a surrogate for respiratory complications the following data will be collected:

  • Oxygen requirements pre and post operatively
  • Pre and post operative need for positive pressure ventilation (CPAP, BiPAP)
  • Radiographic evidence of atelectasis or pneumonia
  • Trends in oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry Data collection is projected to be completed by July 1st 2018

Data analysis: Parametric data will be reported as a mean +/- standard deviation, along with confidence intervals. Means will be used to estimate effect size and these values will then be used in power calculations and sample size estimation for future studies. In addition, the unpaired t-test will be used to test for significant difference between groups. The incidence of adverse events will be recorded and presented with descriptive statistics. Data analysis is projected to be completed by October 2018

Significance:

Fascia Iliaca blocks have already been shown to improve pain in hip fracture patents. Our theory is that if we can effectively manage pain with cFIBs we can reduce the amount of opioids patients receive in the perioperative period. This could lead to reduced complications from opioids, improved patient positioning, improved patient mobility, and earlier time to discharge which would have a great impact on patient experience and cost of care.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hip Fractures
  • Neuromuscular Blockade
  • Respiratory Morbidity
  • Delirium
  • Fascia Iliaca Block
  • Pain

Keywords

  • hip fracture
  • fascia iliaca block
  • continuous fascia iliaca block
  • neuromuscular blockade
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 30 is below the median of 69 across 1,482 interventional studies indexed under Fractures, Bone.

Browse Fractures, Bone studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Saskatchewan is the lead sponsor of 237 studies on the registry; 33 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults age greater than or equal to 65 years old with acute hip fracture

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ASA greater than or equal to 4
  • Open fractures
  • Other concomitant injuries that may interfere with positioning or pain scores
  • Local anesthetic allergy
  • Delirium at the time of consent
  • Pre-existing cognitive impairment
  • Infection at the site of injection for cFIB
  • Previous surgery in femoral triangle
  • Warfarin or Anti-Xa inhibitor use
  • Long-term opioid use
  • Intraoperative complications
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Standard Treatment

    Patients in this group will receive standard treatment orders which include a combination of opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and other adjuncts for analgesia.

  • Experimental
    Continuous fascia iliaca block

    The cFIB group will receive an ultrasound guided cFIB and standard treatment orders as backup in the event of block failure. The cFIB group will receive an initial bolus of 40 cc of 0.25% Ropivacaine followed by an infusion of 8 cc/hr until the time of surgery. Immediately pre-operatively, the anesthesiologist performing the case will bolus the catheter 40 cc of 0.25% ropivacaine and discontinue the catheter.

    Procedure: Continuous fascia iliaca block · Drug: Ropivacaine

Interventions

  • ProcedureContinuous fascia iliaca block

    Regional nerve block performed under ultrasound guidance. A catheter will be left in place to allow ongoing infusion of local anesthetic.

  • DrugRopivacaine

    Ropivacaine local anesthetic will be used for the fascia iliaca block

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Respiratory complications

    Use of supplemental oxygen, need for positive pressure ventilation, decreased oxygen saturations, radiographic evidence of atelectasis or pneumonia

    Time frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 month

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain score

    Subjective pain score on 1-10 visual analog scale in supine, semi-recumbent, upright positions, and with active movement

    Time frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 month

  2. Opioid side effects

    Incidence of nausea, vomiting, pruritus, constipation, and urinary retention will be recorded

    Time frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 month

  3. 30 day mortality

    Status, living or deceased, at 30 days post op

    Time frame: Will be collected from hospital record, at up to 3 months after enrolment.

  4. Delirium

    CAM-ICU scoring system will be used daily to measure delirium

    Time frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 month

  5. Post op length of stay

    Will be measured as number of days in hospital from date of admission until ready for discharge

    Time frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 month

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Royal University Hospital
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W8, Canada
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Guay J, Kopp S. Peripheral nerve blocks for hip fractures in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 25;11(11):CD001159. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001159.pub3. PubMed 33238043 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — We will not be sharing individual participant data.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 21, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03588689
Lead sponsor
University of Saskatchewan
Responsible party
Churao Yang (Anesthesiologist, University of Saskatchewan) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 17, 2018
Start date
May 7, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 31, 2019
Completion
May 1, 2019
Last update
May 21, 2019

Study contacts

Brian Brownbridge, MD
principal investigator · University of Saskatchewan
Churao Yang, MD
principal investigator · University of Saskatchewan

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in May 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion