Recruiting

Early vs. Delayed Bathing

Sponsor:

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York

Code:

NCT06014411

Conditions

Surgical Wound

Post Operative Wound Infection

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Time to bathing (delayed)

Time to bathing (early)

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is a single center randomized control trial assessing the effect of early versus delayed bathing on orthopaedic surgical wounds in patients undergoing surgical treatment of fractures. Patients will be recruited by screening all patients undergoing surgical treatment for fractures at our institution. Patients who provide written consent will be randomized to one of two treatment arms after confirming eligibility criteria. Group A will be advised to begin early normal bathing (non-submerged showering) with uncovered surgical wounds. Group B will be advised to follow traditional delayed bathing with covered wounds.

Those who do not wish to participate in the randomized trial will be invited to participate observationally (no randomization) and have the same prospective follow-up.

Conditions

Surgical Wound

Post Operative Wound Infection

Study ID

NCT06014411

Start date

Jan 29, 2024

Status verified date

Mar, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients over 18 years of age
  • Patient who are not pregnant
  • Isolated acute fractures of the upper or lower extremities (humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, or fibula)
  • Diagnosis of a fracture meeting indication for operative intervention
  • Any fracture not requiring a splint for post-operative management
  • Non-complicated wounds (non-traumatic wounds, closed injuries, fractures not requiring external fixation, and acute fracture surgery)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Fractures associated with presumed infection
  • Patients with multiple fractures
  • Fractures in patients with underlying associated immune compromise
  • Fractures in patients with underlying peripheral vascular disease
  • Use of VAC
  • Surgery performed through previous surgical wound
  • Patient homeless
  • Fractures in patients with underlying diabetes mellitus
  • Complicated wounds (traumatic wounds, need for post-op wound care, open injuries, need for external fixation)

Study Design

Enrollment

56 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Delayed Bathing

Delayed bathing-- patients will be told to begin showering after wound exam and suture removal (10-20 day postoperative).

active comparator: Early Bathing

Early bathing--Patients will be told to remove dressings and begin showering with body soap on postoperative day 3.

Interventions

Time to bathing (delayed)

Delayed bathing-- patients will be told to begin showering after wound exam and suture removal (10-20 day postoperative).

Time to bathing (early)

Early bathing--Patients will be told to remove dressings and begin showering with body soap on postoperative day 3.

Primary outcome measure

  • Patient satisfaction associated with early and delayed surgical site bathing [ Time Frame: Weeks 2, 6 and 12 post surgery ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

William M Ricci, MD

212-606-1026ricciw@hss.edu

Craig E Klinger, BA

212-606-1641klingerc@hss.edu

Locations

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Recruiting

New York, New York, United States, 10065

Contacts

William M Ricci, MD

212-606-1026ricciw@hss.edu

Craig E Klinger, BA

212-606-1641klingerc@hss.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York

Last update posted

Mar 30, 2026

Last verified

Mar, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Hospital for Special Surgery, New York on 2026-03-30.