The nail bed is the soft area beneath the hard fingernail. Injuries to it are the commonest hand injury in children. They are typically caused by the child crushing their fingers in a door.
Over 10,000 children undergo surgery to repair the cut in the nail bed in the UK every year. During surgery, the nail is taken off and the cut stitched up. The nail can either be put back on, or thrown away.
Some doctors think that the replaced nail acts like a barrier against infection. Others think that it may cause them. Infections may mean the new nail grows abnormally, with a need for extra general practice and hospital visits. Work with parents and children tell us they value most the subsequent cosmetic appearance which could be also affected.
We will assess the two options in a research study called a randomised controlled trial. It will enable a fair and reliable comparison of the two options. We will look at impact of the two options on cosmetic appearance, occurrence of an infection, pain, and subsequent healthcare use.
NINJA is now CLOSED and the final study report will be made available when it has been finalised.
Thank you to all the staff at all our sites for giving their time and energy to make sure that NINJA is a success!
WHAT IS NINJA?
NINJA is a multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Patients will be recruited from up to 30 centres across the United Kingdom over a period of 20 months. Participants will be randomised to either have the fingernail replaced or discarded following repair of the nailbed injury.
They will be followed up for 4 months at routine clinic appointments (typically between 7-10 days post operation) and via postal and electronic participant reported questionnaires at 4 months. The trial will run for 3 years.
SITE QUICK LINKS
NINJA & YOUR DATA
NINJA is an OCTRU Trial sponsored by the University of Oxford. OCTRU has issued the following transparency statement on its website. NINJA also has issued a trial-specific transparency statement for it's participants and their parents/guardians.
This feed may not be not visible if your browser runs tracking protection.
OUR FUNDING
NINJA is funded by the NIHR RfPB.
Find out more on the NIHR website Research for Patient Benefit programme
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
SITU is a multidisciplinary team who provide training and support for the development of surgical trials and future trialists. We draw upon the considerable methodological and practical trials expertise in Oxford including six accredited trial units, statistical, ethical, health economic, systematic review, clinical network resources and the IDEAL collaboration.
CLINCIAL SUPPORT
NINJA is supported by the work of the Reconstructive Surgery Trials Network and its members across the UK.
