AceFIT – Acetabular Fractures in older patients Intervention Trial.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
AceFIT – Acetabular Fractures in older patients Intervention Trial. A feasibility study comparing three methods of treatment of acetabular fractures in older patients; surgical fixation versus surgical fixation and hip replacement versus non-surgical treatment.
IRAS ID
225013
Contact name
Andrew Carrothers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Summary of Results
Approximately 1,500 older people break the pelvic part of their hip joint (acetabulum) each year in the UK. These fractures are challenging in older patients as the bone is often fragile and in many pieces. There are 2 main accepted treatment options; non-operative and operative. The operative option can include surgical fixation, or surgical fixation combined with hip replacement. Patients treated non-operatively or with surgical fixation must keep off their injured leg until their fracture has healed. Consequently these patients often have a prolonged recovery time and may have a poorly functioning hip joint after the fracture has healed. Treatment with surgery to replace the hip joint at the same time the fracture is being fixed avoids the problem of a damaged hip joint and most positively enables patients to start walking on their injured leg immediately.Currently we do not know which of these treatments is best. We are proposing to undertake a randomised study comparing three treatments; non-surgical treatment, surgical fixation and surgical fixation combined with hip replacement in older patients. Patients who are eligible and have agreed to participate will be randomly allocated to one of the three treatment groups; 20 patients will not receive any surgery and will be encouraged to weight bear as tolerated, 20 patients will receive surgical fixation and 20 surgical fixation combined with hip replacement.
We will collect information from patients (and their carers) about their health before they receive their allocated treatment and collect more information (including complications, health related questionnaires, length of stay and x-ray pictures) at 6 weeks, 6 months and 9 months after their surgery. This will allow us to assess the feasibility of comparing the treatments at the end of a subsequent more definitive study.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0271
Date of REC Opinion
3 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion