[Randomised clinical trial on pain control in intertrochanteric fractures of the femur with and without skin traction].

AIM: To evaluate the level of pain control among patients with intertrochanteric fracture of the femur with and without the application of skin traction.

METHODS

A randomised, single centre, parallel, controlled and open, clinical trial performed in a hospital environment. The study subjects were patients with an intertrochanteric femur fracture seen in the Emergency Department. A non-probabilistic and consecutive sample of 40 patients (power 80% CI: 95%), was used. The patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to treatment with or without skin traction. The assignment was made by means of sealed envelopes. The principal variable of study was the evaluation of the pain at 48 hours after admission. Data was collected during February to October 2008 using an ad hoc questionnaire. Data was collected at baseline, 2 h, 24 h and 48 h after admission.

RESULTS

At 48 hours after admission, the mean baseline pain improved by 4.4 points (SD: 1.8) (P<.001), the differential effect of the level of pain between both study groups was 0.7 points of the VAS scale (95% CI, -0.7 to 0.6), while the effect of traction showed no statistically significant differences (P=.721). One patient was withdrawn due skin reaction to the traction adhesive.

CONCLUSIONS

The treatment with skin traction in the patients with intertrochanteric fracture of femur does not produce changes in the progression of the pain in comparison with the patients without skin traction.