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Freezing away pain: new procedure could replace opioids for broken ribs

NCT ID NCT05330611

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested a procedure called cryoneurolysis, which uses a device to freeze nerves near broken ribs to block pain. It involved 43 adults aged 18-64 with rib fractures who were not candidates for surgery. The goal was to see if this approach could lower pain scores and reduce the need for strong painkillers like opioids.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
cryoneurolysis (cold nerve block using Iovera device)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-surgical way to control rib fracture pain and reduce reliance on narcotics.
What could go wrong
This was a small, early study with only 43 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and the procedure carries risks like nerve damage or incomplete pain relief.

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

43 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2023

Finished

Feb 2026

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

18 to 64 years

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: * Patients 18 to 64 years with any acute rib fracture between rib 3 and rib 9 * Pain score equal to or greater than 5 with deep inspiration * Presenting and admitted to Stanford Adult Emergency Department, having a trauma consult, and being admitted to the trauma floors of Stanford Healthcare (SHC) for their inpatient stay 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 cryoneurolysis at the attending's discretion * If only ribs broken are 1,2 or 10,11,12 * Inability to be positioned for the procedure * If the patient has the following conditions that the manufacturer of the Iovera device advises AGAINST using the device if present: Cryoglobulinemia, Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, Cold urticaria, Raynaud's disease, open and/or infected wounds at or near the treatment site.

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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.