Treatment of Adult Traumatic Rib Fractures With Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis

Treatment of Adult Traumatic Rib Fractures With Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis for Pain Control (Trauma-PC2-study)

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effectiveness of using the Iovera Smart Time 190, for ultrasound-guided cryoneurolysis, in trauma patients 18-64 years old with rib fractures that are not candidates for surgical stabilization. This will offer patients the benefits of cryoneurolysis of the intercostal nerves, thereby providing short and long term pain control while their ribs heal. The Iovera Smart Tip 190 is FDA approved for cryoneurolysis.

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effectiveness of using the Iovera Smart Time 190, for minimally invasive ultrasound-guided cryoneurolysis, in trauma patients 18-64 years old with rib fractures that are not candidates for surgical stabilization. This procedure will offer patients the benefits of cryoneurolysis (freezing) of the intercostal nerves, thereby providing short and long term pain control while their ribs heal. Patients in the intervention arm will receive cryoneurolysis via the Iovera device and patients in the control arm will receive standard of care which typically includes multimodal pain therapy and pulmonary toilet. Short and long term pain relief will be compared among both arms.

We are proposing a prospective, randomized trial evaluating efficacy of ultrasound-guided cryoneurolysis for pain control after traumatic rib fractures in patients 18-64 years of age. Eligible patients would be enrolled by the trauma service after consent is obtained.

Patients who are admitted to the Emergency Department after a traumatic injury. Patients will have rib fractures in any of ribs 3-9. Patients will be 18-64 years of age and will be randomized (1:1) to the ultrasound-guided cryoneurolysis group within 72 hours of admission to the ED. Intervention is ultrasound-guided cryoneurolysis of intercostal nerves creating lost lasting pain relief. Device used for cryoneurolysis is Iovera Smart tip 190

Patients who are admitted to the Emergency Department after a traumatic injury. Patients will have rib fractures in any of ribs 3-9. Patients will be 18-64 years of age and will be randomized (1:1) to Standard of Care which typically includes multi-modal pain therapy and pulmonary toilet.

Patients will be offered a minimally invasive intervention procedure for pain control called cryoneurolysis using an ultrasound-guided device called the Iovera Smart Tip 190. The direct application of cold to the intercostal nerves via Iovera device produces lesions in peripheral nervous tissue to block the pain caused by rib fractures. This procedure is particularly beneficial for patients who are not candidates for surgical stabilization of their rib fractures. Application of cryoneurolysis as an analgesic will reduce the amount of narcotics patients might need and instead provide them short- or long-term pain control with minimal risk. Follow up includes pain surveys administered in Chest Wall clinic or via telephone at 30, 90, 365 days post discharge.

Patients will be provided regular standard of care at the Stanford Hospital with short- or long-term follow-up provided at the Stanford Center for Reconstruction after Chest Wall Injury. Standard of care for patients with rib fractures that are not eligible for surgical stabilization includes multi-modal pain therapy and pulmonary toilet. Follow up includes pain surveys administered in Chest Wall clinic or via telephone at 30, 90, 365 days post discharge.

The patient will be asked to verbalize their numeric pain score daily after discharge and at follow-up visits. Pain measured on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain.

The Length of Stay will be obtained from the patient's chart after discharge and will depend on the level of care required for recovery from their injuries.

Incidence of readmission. The patient will be admitted back to the hospital if pain level relates to rib-specific injuries such as hemothorax and pneumonia.

The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is a validated 20 question instrument to quantify subjective pain and the scoring system yields a Pain Rating Index (PRI) score between Mild, Moderate or Severe. The questionnaire will be administered to the patient by study/ clinical staff upon discharge. The scoring system yields a pain rating index (PRI) score between 0 and 50 used to temporally track pain, higher scores correspond to higher pain levels.

The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) is a global scale for functional outcome that rates patient status into one of five categories: Dead, Vegetative State, Severe Disability, Moderate Disability or Good Recovery. The Extended GOS (GOSE) provides more detailed categorization into eight categories by subdividing the categories of severe disability, moderate disability and good recovery into a lower and upper category: Death (D) Vegetative state (VS) Lower severe disability (SD -) Upper severe disability (SD +) Lower moderate disability ( MD -) Upper moderate disability ( MD +) Lower good recovery (GR -) Upper good recovery (GR +) The questionnaire will be administered to the patient by study/clinical staff upon discharge.

The 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey is a widely used composite score used to gauge overall health. The composite score is based on 8 domains scores contained in the SF-12 questionnaire, which will be administered to the patient by study/clinical staff upon discharge. Score ranges from 1 (Excellent) to 5 (Poor) , 1 (Yes, limited a lot) to 3 (No, not limited at all), 1 (Yes) 2 (No), 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Extremely), 1 (All of the time) to 6 (None of the time) and 1 (All of the time) to 5 (None of the time).

Inclusion Criteria: Patients 18 to 64 years with any acute rib fracture Pain score equal to or greater than 5 with deep inspiration Any acute rib fracture between rib 3 and rib 9 Presenting and admitted to Stanford Emergency Department Exclusion Criteria: Radiographic evidence of metastasis to ribs Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score <13 Patients undergoing SSRF (Surgical stabilization of rib fractures) Rib fractures located < 3cm from spinous process Coagulopathy (INR >1.5, Plt < 100) Other factors precluding cryoablation at IR attending's discretion If only ribs broken are 1,2 or 10,11,12

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