Can ice packs speed up surgery recovery? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT04564963
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether applying ice packs over surgical incisions every 4 hours for up to 72 hours can improve patients' recovery after chest, abdomen, or groin surgery. 196 adults were randomly assigned to receive cryotherapy plus standard care or standard care alone. The main goal was to see if a larger trial is possible, while also measuring pain and quality of recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cryotherapy (ice packs or gel packs applied over the surgical incision)
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could provide a simple, low-cost way to improve recovery and reduce pain after surgery without extra drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small vanguard trial focused on feasibility, not on proving effectiveness. The results may not show clear benefits, and a larger trial is needed to confirm any findings.
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
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196 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Finished
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Aug 2022
- 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
-
18 years and older
- Sex
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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 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: * Age ≥18 years * Scheduled for an elective surgery requiring a thoracic, abdominal or groin incision * Scheduled to remain in hospital for at least one night, post-operatively Exclusion Criteria: * Anticipated to require intubation overnight post-operatively * Raynaud's phenomenon
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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
-
North York General Hospital
North York, Ontario, M2K 1E1, Canada
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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
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The Ottawa Hospital
Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8L6, Canada
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