The administration of intermittent parathyroid hormone affects functional recovery from trochanteric fractured neck of femur: a randomised prospective mixed method pilot study

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Teriparatide and Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84).

The researchers wished to assess the feasibility of a future randomised controlled trial of parathyroid hormone (PTH) supplements to aid healing of trochanteric fractures of the hip, by an open label prospective feasibility and pilot study with a nested qualitative sub study.

This aimed to inform the design of a future powered study comparing the functional recovery after trochanteric hip fracture in patients undergoing standard care, versus those who undergo administration of subcutaneous injection of PTH for six weeks.

Their desired outcomes were functional testing and measures to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the study.

Why It Was Studied

Methodological and sample size planning would have to take this into account.

PTH administration to patients to enhance fracture healing should still be considered experimental.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

The researchers undertook a pilot study comparing the functional recovery after trochanteric hip fracture in patients 60 years or older, admitted with a trochanteric hip fracture, and potentially eligible to be randomised to either standard care or the administration of subcutaneous PTH for six weeks.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, open-label and pilot.

Because people in this Teriparatide study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Nothing was hidden in this open-label Teriparatide study: the participants and staff both knew the treatment.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Teriparatide study would be practical.

A time span of six weeks appears in the methods.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Bone Density Conservation Agents, Femoral Neck Fractures, Fracture Fixation, Internal, Fracture Healing, Medication Adherence, Osteoporotic Fractures and Pilot Projects.

Author keywords: Parathyroid hormone and Trochanteric hip fracture.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, open-label and pilot study of Teriparatide and Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) over six weeks.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 4 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2016 (The bone & joint journal), a journal based in England.

More context: the Teriparatide compound page and the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH 1-84) compound page, all human trials.