Fixing broken ribs with surgery may cut pain better than drugs alone
NCT ID NCT02094807
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers compare two ways to treat adults with at least four traumatic rib fractures and severe pain: surgery to fix the ribs or standard care with painkillers and epidural anesthesia. The trial measures pain levels, hospital stay, quality of life, and physical function to see which approach works better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- surgical fixation of rib fractures compared with standard pain management using opioids, paracetamol, NSAIDs, and epidural anesthesia
- What this could lead to
- If surgery works better than painkillers alone, it could become a standard option for people with multiple broken ribs, helping them breathe and move with less pain.
- What could go wrong
- Surgery carries risks like infection, bleeding, or nerve damage, and not everyone with rib fractures may benefit. The trial may show no clear difference between the two approaches.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2014
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2020
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: Adults ≥18 years of age with traumatic rib fractures that meet the following 2 criteria: 1. A minimum of 4 rib fractures 2. Pain that requires analgesia in the form of opioids in equivalent doses of \> 25 mg iv morphine daily Exclusion Criteria: 1. Concurrent spinal cord injuries with paralysis 2. Severe head injury where normal level of consciousness is not present 3. Severe neurological and musculoskeletal diseases that influence the function of the thoracic wall and lung volumes
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Gothenburg, 413 45, Sweden
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