Clinical Research Directory

Low-Dose Short-Term Ketorolac to Reduce Chronic Opioid Use in Orthopaedic Polytrauma Patients

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to learn if the use of a low-dose nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), ketorolac, reduces the rate of chronic opioid use in orthopaedic trauma patients. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Are patients who are given scheduled ketorolac during the first five days of the perioperative period in combination with standard of care (SOC) multimodal analgesia (MMA) less likely to develop chronic opioid use at 6 months after injury compared to patients who SOC MMA alone? 2. Does scheduled ketorolac during the first five days of the perioperative period improve functional responses to pain at discharge, 3 months, and 6 months after injury? 3. Does early pain control provided by ketorolac decrease chronic opioid use through decreased acute pain and opioid use, improved functional responses to pain, or both? Participants will be enrolled and randomized to either the ketorolac (treatment) group or the SOC group. Patients randomized to the ketorolac group will receive ketorolac every 6 hours for up to five days during the perioperative period; patients discharged prior to completing the five-day regimen will complete the remainder of treatment with oral ketorolac. Pain and opioid use will be measured daily during the five-day treatment period. Opioid use will be measured and functional response to pain surveys will be obtained at discharge, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after injury. Researchers will compare patients receiving ketorolac (treatment) plus SOC versus those receiving SOC alone to determine if ketorolac reduces chronic opioid use and improves the functional response to pain.

VA Transitional Pain Service Study

The VA Community Care Program has provided an important resource to improve access to surgical care for Veterans unable to have treatment at VA Medical Centers (VAMC). However, there is an increased risk of developing chronic opioid use when at-risk surgical patients receive opioids from non-VA providers. A multidisciplinary approach to perioperative pain management known as the Transitional Pain Service (TPS) has been shown to effectively reduce chronic opioid use among Veterans after surgery, but it is unknown whether it can be used to achieve the same outcomes for Veterans using Community Care for high-risk surgery. Through this project, the investigators will generate important data to establish whether a telehealth TPS approach can serve as a scalable and effective strategy to ensure safe opioid use among Veterans undergoing orthopedic surgery. The investigators will randomize Veterans using Community Care for orthopedic surgery to telehealth TPS versus standard of care. Finally, the investigators will interview patients using Community Care to better understand barriers and facilitators to telehealth TPS and Veteran satisfaction with the approach to pain management.

Reversal of Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression With Opioid Antagonists

n this pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modelling study we will determine the ability of intranasal and intravenous naloxone and intravenous nalmefene to reverse opioid (fentanyl and sufentanil)- induced respiratory depression in healthy volunteers and chronic opioid users to develop dosing recommendations in case of opioid-induced respiratory depression from an opioid overdose in clinical practice and in the out-of-hospital overdose.