AzTrials
AzTrials

Complication of Surgical or Medical CareNCT04732884

Evaluation of the Effect of Biofeedback on Osseous Union Using Pedobarography After Mid- and Hindfoot Arthrodesis

A study testing Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedback and Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedback in people with Complication of Surgical or Medical Care, run by Prof. Dr. med. Arno Frigg at 1 site in Switzerland.

Suspended

Paused. Enrolment is on hold for now and may resume.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The current study aims at evaluating the effect of biofeedback of correct partial weight bearing on the rate of osseous non-union compared to conventional patient instruction without biofeedback. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Complication of Surgical or Medical Care
What is being tested?
Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedback and Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedback
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
216 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
25 Sep 2023to Jan 2027
Phase
Interventional
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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Indication for hind- or midfoot arthrodesis
  • Informed Consent
  • Body weight < 90kg (according to Smartsens manufacturers recommendations)

Who cannot join

  • Physical or mental inability to follow weight-bearing recommendations (e.g. dementia, neurologic disease, upper extremity pathology)
  • Participation in a potentially interfering interventional trial during the last 30 day or before wash-out of any trial medication (e.g. steroids, medications affecting bone metabolism etc.)
  • Previous infection at the intended surgical site
  • Body weight > 90kg
  • Pregnancy

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Switzerland1 site
  • FussZentrumHirslanen

    Zurich, Canton of Zurich, 8032

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Monocentric Trial Evaluating the Effect of Biofeedback on Osseous Union Using Pedobarography After Mid- and Hindfoot Arthrodesis

The current study aims at evaluating the effect of biofeedback of correct partial weight bearing on the rate of osseous non-union compared to conventional patient instruction without biofeedback.

Read the detailed description

Post-traumatic situations or instabilities of other aetiology at the level of the foot can lead to painful degenerative arthritis that necessitates surgical arthrodesis for pain relief. Surgical arthrodesis in this region though is associated with a high risk of osseous non-union (depending on the exact location up to 40%) despite standardized preparation and fixation techniques. The development of osseous non-union is associated with certain patient characteristics like active smoking, nutrition etc. Compliance to partial weight-bearing during the early postoperative phase is another contributing factor.

The current study aims at evaluating the effect of biofeedback of correct partial weight bearing on the rate of osseous non-union compared to conventional patient instruction without biofeedback.

All patients will postoperatively be provided with a lower- leg unloading orthosis furnished with a weight sensor that will - according to randomization - give feedback if a predefined weight threshold has been crossed or just measure weight-bearing without feedback.

Being tested
Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedback, Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedback
Keywords
mid- and hindfoot surgical arthrodesis, osseous non-union

What participants receive

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

  • Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedbackDevice

    Also called Weight sensor with biofeedback

    The Smartsens is a CE certified 4-cell load sensor integrated in an insole that can be placed in any orthosis or cast. A threshold (10-50kg) can be defined at which - if higher loads are measured - an audio signal warns the patient of overloading (biofeedback). The device additionally registers loads from 0-100kg continuously.

  • Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedbackDevice

    Also called Weight sensor without biofeedback

    Patients will not be warned by an audio signal in case of overloading. The device registers loads from 0-100kg continuously.

Study groups in NCT04732884
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Weight sensor with biofeedbackExperimentalActivation of the feedback function of the weight-bearing sensor as mean to possibly enhance compliance to weight-bearing instructions postoperative.
Receives: Device: Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedback
Weight sensor without biofeedbackExperimentalStandard patient education considering postoperative weight-bearing parameters and measurement of actual weight-bearing with the sensor.
Receives: Device: Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedback

What is being measured

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

  1. Evaluation of the influence of weight bearing an resting time on the development of osseous non-union after surgical arthrodesis at the level of the mid- and hindfoot.

    The primary outcome is an analysis of the rate of non-unions after mid- and hindfoot arthrodesis comparing a sensor the two patient arms with activated vs non-activated biofeedback.

    The rate of osseous non-unions defined as CT-morphologic union <30% of the joint surface at 3 months in relation to the provision of biofeedback.

    Measured: 3 months

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Compliance i.e. adherence to weight bearing recommendations (≤ 15kg charge) with and without biofeedback.

    All patients will be asked to wear the orthosis with integrated sensor all day long including resting times. They are furthermore instructed to follow partial weight-bearing with 15kg (for 6 weeks).

    The device will record load and quantity of steps over time. In the first group, a biofeedback in form of an audio-signal will warn the patient if treatment recommendations like partial weight bearing are not followed. The control intervention will be pure instruction followed by measurements. Control patients will not receive biofeedback upon transgression of recommendations.

    Measured: 6 weeks

  2. Compliance i.e. adherence to resting time recommendations (≥ 80% of time) with and without biofeedback.

    All patients will be asked to wear the orthosis with integrated sensor all day long including resting times. They are furthermore instructed to reduce their activity with 80% resting time.

    The device will record load and quantity of steps over time. In the first group, a biofeedback in form of an audio-signal will warn the patient if treatment recommendations like resting times are not followed. The control intervention will be pure instruction followed by measurements of load and quantity of steps. Control patients will not receive biofeedback upon transgression of recommendations.

    Measured: 6 weeks

  3. Consumption of analgesic medication after surgery

    Consumption of analgesic medication following WHO grading. Data will be collected at any scheduled (2 and 6 weeks, 3 and 12 months) or unscheduled follow-up visits.

    Measured: 12 months

  4. Patient's quality of life after surgery

    Quality of life will be analysed by using EuroQuality of Life Five Dimensions (EQ5D-5L) questionnaire at baseline and after 3 months and 12 months.

    The descriptive system comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems. The EQ VAS records the patient's self-rated health on a vertical visual analogue scale, where the endpoints are labelled 'The best health you can imagine' and 'The worst health you can imagine'.

    Measured: 12 months

  5. Patient's satisfaction

    Patient satisfaction will be documented after 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 12 months by using net promotor score (NPS).

    NPS is the percentage of customers rating their likelihood to recommend the "service" to a friend or colleague as 9 or 10 ("promoters") minus the percentage rating this at 6 or below ("detractors") on a scale from 0 to 10.

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted1 Feb 2021
  2. Study start25 Sep 2023
  3. Primary completionAug 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)

Why it stopped: Trial was suspended for technical reasons

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Monocentric, prospective, randomized, controlled trial
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
216 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04732884
Sponsor's protocol ID
BioPed
Status last verified
Oct 2024
First submitted
9 Jan 2021
Last updated
22 Oct 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Smartsens, Gelenic AG; with biofeedback and Smartsens, Gelenic AG; without biofeedback in people with Complication of Surgical or Medical Care, run by Prof. Dr. med. Arno Frigg at 1 site in Switzerland.

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 3 inclusion and 5 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: paused, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Oct 2024. 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 Switzerland. 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.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Evaluation of the influence of weight bearing an resting time on the development of osseous non-union after surgical arthrodesis at the level of the mid- and hindfoot. (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 22 Oct 2024.

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