ClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT04909463Updated May 14, 2025Results posted

Effects of Using the Duracore Splinting Device on Patient Outcomes Related to Chest Trauma

An interventional study of Chest Splint in Rib Fractures and Rib Fracture Multiple, sponsored by CommonSpirit Health. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-05-14.

Sponsored by CommonSpirit Health · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Limited resources
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
8
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to use the Duracore splinting device to measure lung capacities of patients with rib fractures in control and experimental groups to determine if lung capacities improve with the splint.

Read the detailed description

The purpose of this study is to use the Duracore patient operated torso splinting device for patients with chest trauma, including rib fractures, to improve deep breathing and help with reduced hospital length of stays (LOS). The hypothesis of this study is that the use of the Duracore splinting device will reduce hospital length of stays and improve patient lung capacities over the course of admission following chest trauma.

The study will use a randomized-experimental design and will be randomized via envelope randomization, with experimenters being blinded. A total of 104 patients, 26 in each group, will undergo initial incentive spirometry and forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) tests. Number of subjects to be used are 150 to account for withdrawals, incomplete data sets, extraneous results, etc. Groups will consist of a control versus experimental group, stratified into bilateral and unilateral rib fractures. Three days' worth of data will be collected for each of the tests and will also be collected 24 hours prior to discharge. Length of stays will be compared for experimental and control groups, as well as time to ambulation (collected from the first physical therapy assessment). Injury severity score will also be collected to determine any correlation by severity of injury. Patient satisfaction surveys for the device will also be collected to determine if the patients feel a difference with the device.

Little research as been conducted to determine the significance of a splinting device used in patients with chest trauma, and it is still uncertain whether these devices improve overall patient outcomes. Contradicting studies with similar experimental designs show either some significance (p-value) or insignificance in pulmonary function pre- and post-treatment. This gap in current knowledge leaves room for concern in whether the patient truly benefits from a splinting device in this type of injury. Changes in FVC/FEV1 ratio in this patient population are not readily demonstrated in most of these studies, as well as differing length of stays. This study will contribute to this base of knowledge by determining the effects of the Duracore splinting device on this patient population using the objectives.

02

Conditions studied

  • Rib Fractures
  • Rib Fracture Multiple

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03

In context

Rib Fractures

126 studies on the registry are indexed under Rib Fractures; 28 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 8 is below the median of 60 across 92 interventional studies indexed under Rib Fractures.

Browse Rib Fractures studies →

Lead sponsor

CommonSpirit Health is the lead sponsor of 5 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
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patient admitted to the trauma service at Penrose Hospital
  • Willing and able to comply with all requirements of the study
  • Active diagnosis of rib fractures
  • Male or female 18 years and older
  • Able to provide written to participate in the study
  • Must be physically able to don and use the splinting device independently without assistance.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion:

  • \<18 years old
  • History of pulmonary disease, lobectomy, or lung transplant
  • Current smoker of tobacco products
  • Diagnosis of flail chest
  • Pregnant Women
  • Prisoners
  • Cognitively Impaired; must be alert and oriented x 3
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Investigator)
Enrollment
8 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Unilateral rib fractures only, no device intervention

    Unilateral rib fractures only, no device intervention

  • Experimental
    Unilateral rib fractures, device intervention

    Unilateral rib fractures, will receive device intervention

    Device: Chest Splint

  • No intervention
    Bilateral rib fractures, no device intervention

    Bilateral rib fractures, no device intervention

  • Experimental
    Bilateral rib fractures, device intervention

    Bilateral rib fractures, will receive device intervention

    Device: Chest Splint

Interventions

  • DeviceChest Splint

    Those receiving intervention will be given the Duracore chest splint for use throughout the trial.

    Also known as: Duracore

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. FVC Change

    Change in forced vital capacities over time using the device as compared to control groups

    Time frame: 3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge

  2. FEV1 Change

    Change in forced expiratory volume in one second over hospital duration using the device as compared to control groups

    Time frame: 3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge

  3. FEV1 Percent Change

    Change in FEV1/FVC ratio (expressed as FEV1%) over hospital duration using the device as compared to control groups

    Time frame: 3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge

Secondary outcomes

  1. Length of Stay

    The length of stay for the entire admission to the time of discharge

    Time frame: Documented at time of discharge, assessed up to 14 days.

  2. Time to Ambulation

    The initial time of ambulation documented after admission.

    Time frame: 0-48 hours after admission.

  3. Injury Severity Score

    Use of the Injury Severity Score to measure the degree of injury and how it affects outcomes associated with the chest splint. This is measured on a scale from 1 to 6; 1 being relatively minor and 6 being untreatable.

    Time frame: Documented within 2 weeks of admission date.

  4. Day of Admission

    Documenting date and time of admission

    Time frame: Within first 24 hours of admission

  5. Vital Capacity Measurement Via Incentive Spirometry

    Change in vital capacity values indicating changes in deep breathing over the course of hospitalization while using the Duracore device

    Time frame: 3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge

07

Results

Posted May 14, 2025
Limitations and caveats
Early termination due to subject unavailability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uninterpretable data.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneUnilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Started3410
Completed1200
Not completed2210
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject0100
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up2110

Outcome measures

PrimaryFVC Change

Change in forced vital capacities over time using the device as compared to control groups

Time frame:
3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge
Reported as:
Mean · Liters (L)
FVC Change
Liters (L)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
FVC Change0.06 ± 00.34 ± 0.33——
PrimaryFEV1 Change

Change in forced expiratory volume in one second over hospital duration using the device as compared to control groups

Time frame:
3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge
Reported as:
Mean · Liters (L)
FEV1 Change
Liters (L)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
FEV1 Change0.03 ± 00.33 ± 0.46——
PrimaryFEV1 Percent Change

Change in FEV1/FVC ratio (expressed as FEV1%) over hospital duration using the device as compared to control groups

Time frame:
3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge
Reported as:
Mean · Percentage (%)
FEV1 Percent Change
Percentage (%)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
FEV1 Percent Change-0.63 ± 04.49 ± 12.40——
SecondaryLength of Stay

The length of stay for the entire admission to the time of discharge

Time frame:
Documented at time of discharge, assessed up to 14 days.
Reported as:
Mean · Days
Length of Stay
DaysUnilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Length of Stay2 ± 04.5 ± 2.12——
SecondaryTime to Ambulation

The initial time of ambulation documented after admission.

Time frame:
0-48 hours after admission.
Reported as:
Mean · Hours
Time to Ambulation
HoursUnilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Time to Ambulation19.8 ± 022.75 ± 3.46——
SecondaryInjury Severity Score

Use of the Injury Severity Score to measure the degree of injury and how it affects outcomes associated with the chest splint. This is measured on a scale from 1 to 6; 1 being relatively minor and 6 being untreatable.

Time frame:
Documented within 2 weeks of admission date.
Reported as:
Mean · score
Injury Severity Score
scoreUnilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Injury Severity Score9 ± 02.5 ± 2.12——
SecondaryDay of Admission

Documenting date and time of admission

Time frame:
Within first 24 hours of admission
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Day of Admission
ParticipantsUnilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Day of Admission12——
SecondaryVital Capacity Measurement Via Incentive Spirometry

Change in vital capacity values indicating changes in deep breathing over the course of hospitalization while using the Duracore device

Time frame:
3 days of consistent measuring and a final measurement 24 hours prior to expected discharge
Reported as:
Mean · Liters (L)
Vital Capacity Measurement Via Incentive Spirometry
Liters (L)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention
Vital Capacity Measurement Via Incentive Spirometry0.20 ± 00.95 ± 0.21——

Adverse events

Collected over 7 months. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device Intervention0/3 (0%)0/3 (0%)0/3 (0%)
Unilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention0/4 (0%)0/4 (0%)0/4 (0%)
Bilateral Rib Fractures, no Device Intervention0/1 (0%)0/1 (0%)0/1 (0%)
Bilateral Rib Fractures, Device Intervention———

Baseline characteristics

lack of available subjects due to the covid19 pandemic

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionTotal
<=18 years00000
Between 18 and 65 years131—5
>=65 years210—3
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionTotal
Female220—4
Male121—4
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)Unilateral Rib Fractures Only, no Device InterventionUnilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, no Device InterventionBilateral Rib Fractures, Device InterventionTotal
Count of participants————0
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Penrose Hospital
    Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — No IPD will be shared. All information pertaining to statistical significance or lack thereof will be outlined in the final study publication.

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 14, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04909463
Lead sponsor
CommonSpirit Health
Responsible party
Trenton Bradbury (Registered Respiratory Therapist, CommonSpirit Health) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 1, 2021
Start date
Dec 4, 2020
Primary completion
Jul 30, 2021
Completion
Jul 30, 2021
Results posted
May 14, 2025
Last update
May 14, 2025

Study contacts

Trenton Bradbury, BS
principal investigator · CommonSpirit Health

Oversight

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

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