Chest injury surgery: how many rib fractures should be fixed?
NCT ID NCT07338656
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at two surgical techniques for treating unstable chest wall injuries in adults. It compares fixing one fracture per rib versus fixing two fractures per rib to see which leads to better bone healing, lung function, and less pain. One hundred participants will be followed for a year after surgery. The goal is to find the best approach to improve recovery for people with these serious injuries.
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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.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients scheduled for surgery of acute (≤7 days after trauma) unstable injuries in the chest wall at the Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital * Both parts of the unstable segment must be accessible for surgery. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with injuries resulting from CPR * Patients with severe head injury (Head AIS\>3) * Patients with spinal injury * Patients with neurological or musculoskeletal disease affecting chest wall mobility.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Gothenburg, Sweden
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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