{"id":46296,"date":"2022-07-19T08:01:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T06:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/a-game-changer-for-young-children-with-femur-fractures\/"},"modified":"2022-07-19T08:01:39","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T06:01:39","slug":"a-game-changer-for-young-children-with-femur-fractures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/a-game-changer-for-young-children-with-femur-fractures\/","title":{"rendered":"A Game-Changer for Young Children with Femur Fractures"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For decades, the treatment for a young child with a broken femur has been the same: a surgically placed spica cast, commonly known as a body cast. But now, thanks to a new study led by Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles, the days of casting these injuries may soon be over.\n<\/p>\n

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\nThe study, led by Lindsay Andras, MD, Vice Chief of the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center at Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles, found that a pre-made functional brace provides equal healing to the cumbersome spica cast for young children with femur (thighbone) fractures. The braces also eliminate the need for anesthesia and are easier for parents to clean and care for.\n<\/p>\n

\nDr. Andras presented the results of the randomized controlled trial\u2014a collaboration with colleagues at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado\u2014at the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) Annual Meeting in May. The team received the prestigious award for Best Clinical Paper out of 170 papers presented at the conference.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019re very excited,\u201d she says. \u201cA hatred of spica casts is pretty universal in pediatric orthopedics. We think the braces are going to be a total game-changer.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nThe project came about after a group of Chicago researchers found in 2016 that a custom-made functional brace had equivalent healing to a spica cast in young children with femur fractures.\n<\/p>\n

\nWhile those results were encouraging, Dr. Andras quickly discovered that there were two problems. First, the braces had to be custom-made for each child\u2014a process requiring expensive equipment that most orthotists didn\u2019t have. Second, patients had to wait a couple of days while the brace was made, which created logistical challenges for families.\n<\/p>\n

\nTo overcome these obstacles, Dr. Andras and colleagues proposed pre-making the braces in set sizes\u2014and then custom-fitting them to each child. To see if the standardized braces would achieve similar results, the team secured a grant from POSNA and began enrolling patients in 2019.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe study focused on children ages 6 months to 5 years with diaphyseal femur fractures. Patients were randomized into two groups: One received the traditional, surgically placed spica cast, and the other group received a pre-made, functional brace\u2014custom-fitted at the bedside by an orthotist.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe study included 63 children\u201429 in the cast group, and 34 in the brace group. Six weeks after treatment, all fractures in both groups had successfully healed. At one year, all patients were ambulatory and participating in activities without restrictions (except one child who had sustained an unrelated ankle fracture).\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe are still collecting data, but we feel confident that the standardized functional brace achieves equivalent fracture healing outcomes to the spica cast,\u201d Dr. Andras says.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe braces also offer additional benefits:\n<\/p>\n