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Can a light camera see bacteria on broken bones?

NCT ID NCT05785182

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a light-based imaging tool called optical coherence tomography (OCT) can spot bacteria or biofilm on bone, tissue, and surgical hardware during open fracture or infected fracture surgery. Researchers will enroll 40 adults to see if the technique is practical and acceptable in the operating room. If it works, OCT might one day help surgeons clean infections more completely.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If OCT can reliably detect bacteria during surgery, it could help surgeons clean wounds more thoroughly and reduce infection risk.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study focused on feasibility, not effectiveness. The imaging may not be sensitive enough to replace standard lab tests.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2023

Expected to finish

Jun 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Patients 18 years of age or older who present to DHMC (Lebanon) with open and infected fracture

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Open fracture * Fracture Related Infection Exclusion Criteria: * Metatarsal fractures

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Accidental Injuries bone fracture Fractures, Open injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Fracture infection Open fracture Trauma Trauma injury

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766, United States

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