The FIRST trial, on the efficacy of surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), began as a pilot of 50 patients in November 2012. Upon demonstrating feasibility and securing additional funding (January 2015), the trial protocol was published and the definitive trial launced with a target sample of 220 participants. Full participant recruitment was achieved in November 2017 and the final 12-month follow-up is expected to be completed in December 2018.
In preparation for the data analysis and manuscript writing, the FIRST team under the terrific guidance of Nicole Simunovic and Dr. Femi Ayeni published the statistical analysis plan (SAP) for the trial. Two down, one more hurdle to go!