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Other Reconstructive SurgeryPhase 4NCT01262599

Use of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMF) After Breast Reconstruction Surgery

A Phase 4 study testing Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device in people with Other Reconstructive Surgery, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Pedicled transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps are the most common post-mastectomy breast reconstructive surgeries that utilize the patient's tissue. The pedicled TRAM flap involves harvesting skin, fat, and muscle from the abdomen to create a new breast. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Other Reconstructive Surgery
What is being tested?
Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
32 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Feb 2010to Apr 2014
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 85 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • All patients who decide to have immediate unilateral TRAM flap breast reconstruction and are deemed candidates for this surgery. Patients who have undergone or will be undergoing sentinel lymph node or axillary lymph node dissection will be included.

Who cannot join

  • Patients who are not candidates for TRAM flap reconstruction will be excluded. Specific reasons for a patient not to be a candidate will be determined by the surgeon, but may include patients who have minimal abdominal tissue, patients with multiple medical co-morbidities, patients who have had prior abdominal surgeries that preclude a pedicled operation, or patients who are morbidly obese.
  • Additionally, patients who opt for a free TRAM flap or DIEP flap will be excluded since their abdominal donor site morbidity is different than a pedicled TRAM flap.
  • Patients undergoing bilateral reconstruction will also be excluded, because of the more extensive nature of the surgery and donor-site morbidity, which might confound results.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Columbia University Medical Center

    New York, New York, 10032

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields on Postoperative Recovery After TRAM Flap Breast Reconstruction

Pedicled transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps are the most common post-mastectomy breast reconstructive surgeries that utilize the patient's tissue. The pedicled TRAM flap involves harvesting skin, fat, and muscle from the abdomen to create a new breast. TRAM flap complications include fat necrosis of the reconstructed breast, delayed wound healing, and abdominal bulge or hernia. Pain at the abdominal donor site is a major contributor to the need for four to five days of post-operative hospital stay. Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) technologies have been useful as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of delayed union fractures, chronic wounds and post-operative pain. PEMF devices are economical and disposable, and can be incorporated unobtrusively in standard post-operative dressings. The investigators have recently reported, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on breast reduction, that post-op PEMF therapy produced a significant decrease in pain and pain medication use, along with a concomitant decrease in IL1-beta in the wound bed.

The proposed study seeks to determine whether similar results will be obtained after a significantly more extensive surgical procedure, like the TRAM flap. Patients scheduled for pedicled TRAM flap breast reconstruction of a single breast immediately following mastectomy will be enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Subjects will be assigned to one of two groups: a treatment group with active PEMF devices and a placebo group with sham devices that deliver no PEMF. PEMF and sham devices will be taped over both the breast reconstruction and abdominal donor sites. Patients will keep the devices in place for their hospital stay and for a total of two weeks. The investigators hypothesize that subjects in the PEMF treatment group compared to placebo will have a faster reduction in pain, take less pain and nausea medications, have lower levels of IL1-beta in wound exudate, have a shorter hospital stay, and have less wound-healing complications.

Read the detailed description

Operations will be performed by one of two plastic surgeons who perform this surgery in a similar manner. The entire unilateral rectus abdominis muscle will be harvested with fascial-sparing as part of the pedicled TRAM flap. The flap will be shaped and sutured to the chest site, and the abdominal fascial defect will be closed primarily, followed by a polypropylene mesh overlay. Two 10 mm Jackson-Pratt (JP) drains will be placed in the flap wound, and two JPs will be placed in the abdominal wound. Immediately after transfer of the extubated patient to the recovery room bed, study devices will be placed on the reconstructed breast and abdominal donor sites, and activated. In the treatment arm, the PEMF signal is automatically delivered every two hours for fifteen minutes while the patient is in the hospital.

Being tested
Sham PEMF Device, Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device
Keywords
Breast and abdomen morbidities after TRAM flap surgery, TRAM flap surgery, Post-mastectomy breast reconstructive surgery

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Sham PEMF DeviceDevice

    Inactive device placed in the same manner as the active device; does not deliver pulsed electromagnetic fields

  • Ivivi Torino II PEMF DeviceDevice

    Also called Ivivi Torino II

    The PEMF device to be employed in this study is FDA cleared for "adjunctive use in the palliative treatment of postoperative pain and edema in superficial soft tissue" (510(k) number: K903675). The PEMF device will be taped over the affected breast and abdomen. The PEMF signal will consist of a 2 msec burst of 27.12 MHz sinusoidal waves repeating at 2 bursts/sec. The device will automatically provide a 15 minute treatment every 2 hours. Supplied by Ivivi Health Sciences, LLC.

Study groups in NCT01262599
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Sham PEMF DeviceSham comparatorPatients will receive inactive device
Receives: Device: Sham PEMF Device
PEMF DeviceActive comparatorPatients will receive Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device
Receives: Device: Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Pain Score Measured by Visual Analog Scale

    We will record postoperative pain, as reported by the patient and quantified by a standardized visual analog scale (VAS), with written descriptions at 12 hours post-op and assess that pain level in comparison with previous timepoint pain levels, such as 1 hour post-op. The VAS pain scale ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). Higher scores indicate more pain and lower scores indicate less pain. The mean VAS score at 12 hours is reported for each group, active or placebo.

    Measured: 12 hours

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Number of Narcotic Pain Medications

    We will record the amount of pain medication used at twelve hour intervals for the duration of the hospital stay. Pain medications will be converted to oxycodone/acetaminophen equivalents for statistical analysis

    Measured: 24 hours

  2. Levels of Cytokines

    Concentration of the cytokines IL1-beta in the wound bed. Exudates will be collected from standard Jackson-Pratt #10 drains until the patient is discharged. IL1-beta is an early central proinflammatory cytokine that induces cyclooxygenase, an enzyme responsible for prostaglandin synthesis. A decrease in IL1-beta correlates with a decrease in pain. Cytokines and growth factors may contribute to more rapid post-op pain reduction and healing.

    Measured: 24 hours

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Dec 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2010
  3. Primary completionApr 2014
  4. Study completionApr 2014

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
32 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01262599
Sponsor's protocol ID
AAAE8848
Status last verified
Aug 2018
First submitted
1 Dec 2010
Last updated
25 Sep 2018
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Rohde C, Chiang A, Adipoju O, Casper D, Pilla AA. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on interleukin-1 beta and postoperative pain: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study in breast reduction patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Jun;125(6):1620-1629. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181c9f6d3.

    PubMed 20527063
  • Rohde CH, Taylor EM, Alonso A, Ascherman JA, Hardy KL, Pilla AA. Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Reduce Postoperative Interleukin-1beta, Pain, and Inflammation: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in TRAM Flap Breast Reconstruction Patients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015 May;135(5):808e-817e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000001152.

    PubMed 25919263

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Ivivi Torino II PEMF Device in people with Other Reconstructive Surgery, run by Columbia University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Sep 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 10 Aug 2015). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Pain Score Measured by Visual Analog Scale (time frame: 12 hours). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01262599, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Sep 2018.

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