Clinical Research Directory

an Analgesia-first Strategy Without Hypnotic Sedatives in Adult Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit After Neurosurgical Craniotomy

Analgesia and sedation are core components of intensive care unit (ICU) care. They are used to relieve pain and anxiety, prevent harmful physiological stress responses, improve tolerance of invasive devices and mechanical ventilation, and reduce noxious stimulation. Contemporary ICU practice has moved away from deep continuous sedation toward analgesia-first care, lighter sedation targets, delirium prevention, early mobilization, and patient-centred comfort strategies. Patients admitted to the ICU after neurosurgical craniotomy pose a specific challenge. Postoperative agitation after intracranial surgery may lead to unplanned extubation, catheter or drain removal, injury, hypertension, coughing, increased sympathetic activation, and potentially adverse neurological consequences. The incidence of agitation after elective intracranial operations was 29%, which was higher than that previously observed in other surgical populations. Neurosurgical patients may be more vulnerable to stress caused by agitation, due to longer anesthesia duration, delayed extubation and pain and post-craniotomy frontal pneumocephalus. Brain lesions and intracranial manipulations in neurosurgical patients might affect the brain regions which involves cognition and emotion, and are assumed to influence postoperative cognition. At the same time, excessive hypnotic sedation may obscure level of consciousness, pupillary and focal neurological examinations, early seizures, intracranial hypertension, or surgical complications. Previous neurosurgical studies have reported postoperative agitation and delirium after craniotomy were not rare, and risk factors including longer anesthesia duration, delayed extubation, pain, and postoperative pneumocephalus have been reported. However, the investigations of analgesia and sedation in neurosurgical populations have been inadequate. Most of the researches about analgesia and sedation in general ICU were excluded the neurosurgical patients. These patients are special for its cruciality of evaluating the consciousness and neurological signs examination. The analgesia and sedation management is difficult and complex. Several general ICU studies support interest in minimizing routine hypnotic sedation. In a single-centre randomized trial, a protocol of no sedation with morphine boluses increased ventilator-free days and shortened ICU and hospital stay compared with sedation and daily interruption, although agitated delirium was more frequent. In the larger multicentre NONSEDA trial, mortality at 90 days did not differ significantly between nonsedation and light sedation with daily interruption, and many patients in the nonsedation group still required sedatives during ICU stay, most commonly because of delirium. Related NONSEDA substudies have also emphasized that the effects of nonsedation on physical function and cognition require dedicated evaluation. These findings cannot be directly transferred to post-craniotomy neurocritical care. Reviews, consensus statements and observational studies in neurocritical care emphasize with brain-injured patients have unique sedation indications, including control of intracranial pressure, seizures, cerebral oxygen consumption, ventilator synchrony, and severe agitation. Observational data from brain-injury ICUs show wide variation in sedative and analgesic practice and support structured use of sedation and pain scales. Expert consensus also supports administering analgesics before sedatives when clinically appropriate, but acknowledges the limited high-quality evidence in this population. Therefore, an analgesia-first strategy without routine hypnotic sedatives should be evaluated cautiously with explicit neurological safety monitoring and rescue criteria. Remifentanil is a short-acting opioid with rapid onset and offset because it is metabolized by non-specific blood and tissue esterases. These pharmacological features make it suitable for titrated analgesia when repeated neurological assessment is needed. We therefore designed this single-arm exploratory study to estimate the feasibility and safety of a remifentanil-based analgesia-first strategy without routine hypnotic sedatives in selected adult patients admitted to ICU after neurosurgical craniotomy.

Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage After Surgery for Intracranial Tumors

Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear fluid that surrounds and protects the brain. During surgery for brain tumors, neurosurgeons often need to open the covering of the brain (the dura) to reach the tumor. At the end of the operation, this covering is carefully closed again. In some cases, the closure might not be completely adequate leading to cerebrospinal fluid leak. This leakage may collect under the scalp or flow out through the surgical wound. When this happens, the surgical wound may not heal properly, and the risk of infection can increase. These complications can delay recovery and may postpone additional treatments, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, that are often needed after brain tumor surgery. Although cerebrospinal fluid leakage is less common after supratentorial craniotomy (surgery on the upper part of the brain) than after other types of brain surgery, it remains a challenging complication and has not been well studied in this group of patients. The aim of this study is to determine how often cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurs after supratentorial craniotomy for intracranial tumors, identify factors that increase the risk of leakage, and evaluate how these leaks are managed. Understanding these factors may help reduce the occurrence of cerebrospinal fluid leakage and improve postoperative recovery in the future.

MiDura-Study (Neuro-Patch in Duraplasty)

The aim of this study is to collect systematically and proactively data regarding the performance of Neuro-Patch, like complications and handling, under daily clinical practice when used as intended by the manufacturer

Safety and Effectiveness of TETRANITE Bone Adhesive for Cranial Flap Fixation Compared to Traditional Metal Hardware

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of TETRANITE, a bioresorbable bone adhesive, for Cranial Flap Fixation as compared to traditional metal hardware.

Preoperative Evaluation of IVC Collapsibility Index and Caval Aorta Index After Induction of General Anesthesia

This study aims to assess the accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility of preoperative evaluation of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) collapsibility index and caval aorta index for prediction of hypotension after induction of general anesthesia.

A Pilot Study to Evidence Improved Cranial Flap Fixation With a Bioresorbable Bone Adhesive

This clinical pilot study will evaluate the use of a bioresorbable bone adhesive to improve cranial flap fixation at two study time points (at the time of fixation and 6 months). The aim of this Pilot Study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the use of Tetranite for Cranial Flap Fixation (TN-CFF) to allow clinical study of the TN-CFF device in a greater number of patients.

Prospective, Observational Real-world Treatments of AEDH in Large-scale Surgical Cases

This is a multicenter, prospective, and observational real-world study aimed at investigating the current situation of surgical treatments and prognosis for acute epidural hematoma in China, and analyzing the optimization of therapy.

Post Market Study of Tutopatch In Craniotomy

This is a post market prospective, multi-center study of up to 75 participants at approximately 8 clinical study sites. The objective of the study is to evaluate safety by assessing incidence of device and/or procedure related adverse events.

Prospective Randomized Evaluation of Decompressive Ipsilateral Craniectomy for Traumatic Acute Epidural Hematoma

Although craniotomy provides a more complete evacuation of the acute epidural hematoma, there are insufficient data to support specific surgical treatment method. We aim to perform a multi-center, parallel-group randomized clinical trial to compare the outcome and cost-effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy versus craniotomy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury patients with cerebral herniation undergoing evacuation of an acute epidural hematoma.

Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Bupivacaine in Scalp Block Versus Bupivacaine Alone for Postoperative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy

This study aims to compare dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in scalp block versus bupivacaine alone for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing craniotomy.

Study on Prognosis of Acutely Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms

The SPARTA study is a prospective multicenter observational trial in the Netherlands with the aim of identifying the best clinical care in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoidal haemorrhage. Differences in outcome between surgical treatment and endovascular treatment will be explored. Furthermore, cost effectiveness and radiological prognostic factors will be examined.

A Pilot Clinical Study to Evidence Improved Cranial Flap Fixation With a Bioresorbable Bone Adhesive

This clinical pilot study will evaluate the use of a bioresorbable bone adhesive to improve cranial flap fixation at two study time points (at the time of fixation and 6 months). The aim of this Pilot Study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the use of Tetranite for Cranial Flap Fixation (TN-CFF) to allow clinical study of the TN-CFF device in a greater number of patients.

Effectiveness of 3D Bone Matrix in Cranioplasty

The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3D bone scaffold in relation to a scaffold formed by PCL + β-TCP (polycaprolactone and beta-tricalcium phosphate), compared to the use of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) acrylic cement for bone regeneration in patients undergoing cranioplasty in the city of Valdivia, Chile, between the years 2024-2025. The main beneficiaries will be patients, users of the public or private health system, who require bone regeneration. The intermediate beneficiaries are the health team: doctors specialized in surgery and orthopedics, dedicated in their professional work to bone reconstruction and regeneration.