Home › Fractures › NCT07430345

Buprenorphine for Analgesia in Older Adults With Acute Fractures in the Emergency Department

Buprenorphine for Analgesia in Older Adults With Acute Fractures in the Emergency Department: a Randomized Controlled Study

Who can join

Ages 65 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 65 years or older
* Emergency Department patient
* Diagnosis of suspected or confirmed acute fracture
* Numerical Rating Scale 4 or greater at time of presentation
* Must be able to give informed consent or have a surrogate decisionmaker to provide informed consent
* Subjects who may require a surgical procedure are eligible for enrollment, as given the low dose of buprenorphine, this is not anticipated to affect future anesthesia. If additional pain control is needed for surgical procedure, full agonist opioid can be used without contraindication.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Prior history of opioid use disorder
* Participants taking chronic opioid therapy (defined as opioids taken during the past month)
* Allergy to study medications
* Hemodynamic instability requiring immediate resuscitation
* Inability to consent and absence of surrogate decisionmaker

About the study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if buprenorphine can treat pain in older adults who have broken bones. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Is buprenorphine as effective as opioids to treat pain? Are there less side effects with buprenorphine? Researchers will compare buprenorphine and hydromorphone to see if there are differences in pain control and side effects.

Participants will be given one of the two study drugs after breaking a bone and asked about their pain scores and side effects for the next 48 hours.

What is being tested

• Buprenorphine 0.15 MG (drug)
• Hydromorphone 0.25 mg IV (drug)

Sponsor: The Cooper Health System · Participants: 48 · Started: May 7, 2026

Contact the study team

• Katherine E Selman, MD · Phone: 856-342-2627

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07430345

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Fractures

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.