AzTrials
AzTrials

Breast CancerPhase 3HMRMNCT01587248

Use of Harmonic in Breast Surgery

A Phase 3 study testing Harmonic and electrocautery in people with Breast Cancer and Modified Radical Mastectomy, run by Aga Khan University at 1 site in Pakistan.

Completed

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

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

To compare harmonic scalpel with electrocautery for outcomes i.e. estimated blood loss (EBL), operating time, drain Volume and drain Days, seroma formation, surgical site infection and postoperative pain in adult females undergoing MRM at a tertiary care hospital. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 16 to 80 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer, Modified Radical Mastectomy
What is being tested?
Harmonic and electrocautery
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
152 participants
Where
1 sitePakistan
Study dates
Mar 2010to Aug 2011
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 16 to 80 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult females with biopsy proven breast cancer underwent MRM

Who cannot join

  • Simultaneous procedure (Reconstruction, Sentinel lymph node biopsy)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Pakistan1 site
  • Aga Khan University

    Karachi, Sindh

Other trials in Pakistan

About this study

Official title: Harmonic Scalpel vs. Electrocautery Dissection in Modified Radical Mastectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

To compare harmonic scalpel with electrocautery for outcomes i.e. estimated blood loss (EBL), operating time, drain Volume and drain Days, seroma formation, surgical site infection and postoperative pain in adult females undergoing MRM at a tertiary care hospital. We hypothesized that harmonic yields better outcome than electrocautery dissection.

Read the detailed description

In this randomized controlled trial, adult females who underwent MRM between April 2010 and July 2011 were randomized to receive either intervention A (harmonic scalpel) or B (electrocautery). The procedure was standardized except elevation of flaps and axillary dissection, that was performed as per randomization. Patients were followed up in clinic for four weeks. The outcomes were estimated blood loss (EBL), operating time, drain Volume and drain Days, complications (seroma, surgical site infection, hematoma and flap necrosis) and postoperative pain.

Being tested
Harmonic, electrocautery
Keywords
Breast cancer,, Harmonic scalpel,, Electrocautery,, Modified Radical Mastectomy,, Randomized Controlled Trial
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms

What participants receive

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

  • HarmonicDevice

    Dissection with harmonic scalpel

  • electrocauteryProcedure or surgery

    Dissection in modified radical mastectomy

Study groups in NCT01587248
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ElectrocauteryActive comparatorRaising of the flaps with electrocautery
Receives: Procedure: electrocautery
HarmonicExperimentalDissection with harmonic scalpel in modified radical mastectomy
Receives: Device: Harmonic

What is being measured

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

  1. Duration of drains (days)

    Durations of drains in place after MRM: Patients were followed in clinic every 3rd day and drains were removed once the volume was <30ml a day.

    Measured: 30 days

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Operative time

    Time taken in minutes from incision to skin closure

    Measured: 3-4 hours

  2. Drain Volume

    Daily charting of drain volume at a specified time with regular recording in routine clinic follow ups till the drains were is place.

    Measured: 30 days

  3. Overall complications

    Patients were followed up till 3o days. If any of the following were found, the patient was labelled to have complication:

    Seroma- fluctuant swelling under the flaps; SSI- as per CDC criteria; Hematoma- swelling under flaps with characteristic bruising; Flap necrosis- partial or complete necrosis of flaps.

    Measured: 30 days

  4. Pain

    Pain was measured by Visual Analogue score (1-10) by a registered nurse at 24 hours

    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 posted30 Apr 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2010
  3. Primary completionJul 2011
  4. Study completionAug 2011

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 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
152 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01587248
Sponsor's protocol ID
1519-Sur-ERC-10
Acronym
HMRM
Status last verified
Apr 2012
First submitted
19 Apr 2012
Last updated
30 Apr 2012
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Khan S, Khan S, Chawla T, Murtaza G. Harmonic scalpel versus electrocautery dissection in modified radical mastectomy: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Surg Oncol. 2014 Mar;21(3):808-14. doi: 10.1245/s10434-013-3369-8.

    PubMed 24232511

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing Harmonic and electrocautery in people with Breast Cancer and Modified Radical Mastectomy, run by Aga Khan University at 1 site in Pakistan.

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 1 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 30 Apr 2012. 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 Pakistan. 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. 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 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

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

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Duration of drains (days) (time frame: 30 days). 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 NCT01587248, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 30 Apr 2012.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in