Hip FracturesNCT06296758
SiFi vs FNB Local Anesthesia for Hip Fracture Surgeries
A study testing Regional anesthesia in people with Hip Fractures and Surgery, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two commonly used local/regional anesthesia techniques in adults patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: • the impact of both interventions on patient level of pain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Hip Fractures, Surgery, Anesthesia, Local
- What is being tested?
- Regional anesthesia
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 17 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2024to 1 Mar 2026
- 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
- Age 18 or greater
- Having hip fracture surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital
- Suitable for multimodal analgesia including a peripheral nerve block
Who cannot join
- Contraindication to a nerve block technique
- Refuses consent for a nerve block technique
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Femoral Nerve Blockade (FNB) vs Suprainguinal Fascia Iliaca Block (SiFi) for Hip Fracture Surgery
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two commonly used local/regional anesthesia techniques in adults patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: • the impact of both interventions on patient level of pain. • impact on postoperative analgesics administered Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two local/regional anesthesia techniques, either femoral nerve block (FNB) or suprainguinal fascia iliaca block (SiFi). Both techniques are the usual practice at the hospital, and we are NOT aiming to experiment on new anesthesia technique in this study.
Read the detailed description
Hip fracture in the elderly is an increasingly common problem worldwide. Nearly all patients with a hip fracture undergo surgery. Patients with hip fractures often have significant pain, particularly with movement, and surgical fixation is associated with significant pain.
The treatment of pain with the use of a multimodal analgesic regimen is a major priority for elderly patients with hip fractures. These patients are often frail and have multiple medical comorbidities. Hence the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories drugs and systemic opioids may be contraindicated or complicated by adverse effects. Regional anesthesia techniques including femoral nerve blocks (FNB) and fascia iliaca compartment blocks (FICB) are frequently utilized as part of multimodal analgesia due to their relative lack of side-effects. Femoral nerve blockade and suprainguinal fascia iliaca (SiFi) blockade have been described for this indication. Several studies have investigated the analgesic efficacy of the SiFi block after total hip arthroplasty. However, randomized controlled trials on the analgesic efficacy of the SiFi block for pain after hip fracture surgery are not plentiful and subject to methodological concerns.
Objectives:
The primary objective is to test the hypothesis that in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, suprainguinal fascia iliaca block is associated with improved pain scores and a reduction in opioid utilization when compared with femoral nerve block. Secondary objectives will be to compare time to mobilization, time to readiness for discharge and complications associated with both nerve block techniques.
- Conditions
- Hip Fractures, Surgery, Anesthesia, Local
- Being tested
- Regional anesthesia
- Medical subject headings
- Hip Fractures
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Regional anesthesiaProcedure or surgery
ultrasound-guided suprainguinal fascia iliaca block with 40ml of ropivacaine local or ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block with 20ml of ropivacaine local anesthetic
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| SIFI local anesthesia | Experimental | Subjects randomized to the SiFi arm will have an ultrasound-guided suprainguinal fascia iliaca single shot block performed preoperatively in the anesthesia block room with 40ml of 0.2% ropivacaine local anesthetic. This will be reduced to 30 ml in patients under 60 kg. Receives: Procedure: Regional anesthesia |
| FNB local anesthesia | Active comparator | Subjects randomized to the FNB arm will have an ultrasound-guided femoral nerve single shot block performed preoperatively in the anesthesia block room with 20ml of 0.5% ropivacaine local anesthetic. This will be reduced to 15ml in patients under 60 kg. Receives: Procedure: Regional anesthesia |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Postoperative pain
Postoperative numerical pain rating scale (NRS) pain scores
Measured: 48 hours
Postoperative analgesics administered
Postoperative opioid utilization
Measured: 48 hours
Secondary outcomes (3)
Mobilization
Time to first mobilization
Measured: 48 hours
Time to readiness for discharge
Time to 'ready for discharge'
Measured: 48 hours
Complications
Complications associated with both block techniques
Measured: 48 hours
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Mar 2024
- Study start1 Aug 2024
- Primary completion1 Mar 2026
- Study completion1 Mar 2026
Why it stopped: Difficulties recruiting participants
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hip FracturesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of AlbertaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- A concealed-allocation parallel-group blinded randomized controlled clinical
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 17 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Alberta
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06296758
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SiFi_HIP FRACTURE
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Feb 2024
- Last updated
- 6 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: No plan to make the individual participants data available to other researchers was made
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Femoral Nerve Blockade (FNB) vs Suprainguinal Fascia Iliaca Block (SiFi) for Hip Fracture Surgery
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06296758
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SiFi_HIP FRACTURE
- Conditions
- Hip Fractures, Surgery, Anesthesia, Local
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Difficulties recruiting participants
- Enrolment
- 17 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of AlbertaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Mar 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two commonly used local/regional anesthesia techniques in adults patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: • the impact of both interventions on patient level of pain. • impact on postoperative analgesics administered Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two local/regional anesthesia techniques, either femoral nerve block (FNB) or suprainguinal fascia iliaca block (SiFi). Both techniques are the usual practice at the hospital, and we are NOT aiming to experiment on new anesthesia technique in this study.
Detailed description
Hip fracture in the elderly is an increasingly common problem worldwide. Nearly all patients with a hip fracture undergo surgery. Patients with hip fractures often have significant pain, particularly with movement, and surgical fixation is associated with significant pain.
The treatment of pain with the use of a multimodal analgesic regimen is a major priority for elderly patients with hip fractures. These patients are often frail and have multiple medical comorbidities. Hence the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories drugs and systemic opioids may be contraindicated or complicated by adverse effects. Regional anesthesia techniques including femoral nerve blocks (FNB) and fascia iliaca compartment blocks (FICB) are frequently utilized as part of multimodal analgesia due to their relative lack of side-effects. Femoral nerve blockade and suprainguinal fascia iliaca (SiFi) blockade have been described for this indication. Several studies have investigated the analgesic efficacy of the SiFi block after total hip arthroplasty. However, randomized controlled trials on the analgesic efficacy of the SiFi block for pain after hip fracture surgery are not plentiful and subject to methodological concerns.
Objectives:
The primary objective is to test the hypothesis that in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, suprainguinal fascia iliaca block is associated with improved pain scores and a reduction in opioid utilization when compared with femoral nerve block. Secondary objectives will be to compare time to mobilization, time to readiness for discharge and complications associated with both nerve block techniques.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- A concealed-allocation parallel-group blinded randomized controlled clinical
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| SIFI local anesthesia | Experimental | Procedure: Regional anesthesiaSubjects randomized to the SiFi arm will have an ultrasound-guided suprainguinal fascia iliaca single shot block performed preoperatively in the anesthesia block room with 40ml of 0.2% ropivacaine local anesthetic. This will be reduced to 30 ml in patients under 60 kg. |
| FNB local anesthesia | Active comparator | Procedure: Regional anesthesiaSubjects randomized to the FNB arm will have an ultrasound-guided femoral nerve single shot block performed preoperatively in the anesthesia block room with 20ml of 0.5% ropivacaine local anesthetic. This will be reduced to 15ml in patients under 60 kg. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age 18 or greater
- Having hip fracture surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital
- Suitable for multimodal analgesia including a peripheral nerve block
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Contraindication to a nerve block technique
- Refuses consent for a nerve block technique
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Regional anesthesiaultrasound-guided suprainguinal fascia iliaca block with 40ml of ropivacaine local or ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block with 20ml of ropivacaine local anesthetic | Procedure or surgery | FNB local anesthesia, SIFI local anesthesia |
Primary outcome
Postoperative pain
Time frame: 48 hours
Postoperative numerical pain rating scale (NRS) pain scores
Postoperative analgesics administered
Time frame: 48 hours
Postoperative opioid utilization
3 secondary outcomes
Mobilization
Time frame: 48 hours
Time to readiness for discharge
Time frame: 48 hours
Complications
Time frame: 48 hours
Results and safety
The study was stopped early (reason given: Difficulties recruiting participants). Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. No plan to make the individual participants data available to other researchers was made
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Regional anesthesia in people with Hip Fractures and Surgery, run by University of Alberta at 1 site in Canada.
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 2 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 May 2026. 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 Canada. 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?
The study was stopped early (reason given: Difficulties recruiting participants). 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?
Postoperative pain (time frame: 48 hours). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 6 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.