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Cold therapy could slash painkiller use for seniors with broken ribs

NCT ID NCT04482582

Symptom relief Sponsor: Stanford University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested a procedure called cryoneurolysis, which uses a cold probe to freeze nerves around broken ribs, in 127 elderly patients. The goal was to reduce pain and the need for strong narcotics, helping patients recover faster. Researchers measured pain scores at discharge and tracked complications like ICU stays and survival.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
cryoneurolysis (nerve freezing)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer elderly patients a way to control rib fracture pain with fewer narcotics and a faster return to normal activities.
What could go wrong
This is a small, single-center study. The procedure may not work for everyone, and there are risks like bleeding or nerve damage. Results may not apply to all hospitals.

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.

Phase

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.

Participants

127 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2021

Finished

Apr 2025

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.

Ages

65 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: i) Patients greater than 65 years with any acute rib fracture ii) Pain score equal to or greater than 5 with deep inspiration. iii) Presenting and admitted to Stanford Emergency Department Exclusion criteria: i) Radiographic evidence of metastasis to ribs ii) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score \<13 iii) Patients undergoing SSRF iv) Rib fractures located \< 3cm from spinous process v) Coagulopathy (INR \>1.5, Pat \< 100) vi) Other factors precluding cryoablation at IR attending's discretion vii) If only ribs broken are 1,2 or 10,11, 12

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

bone fracture Rib Fractures

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Rib fractures

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Stanford Hospital and Clinics

    Palo Alto, California, 94305, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.