Clinical Research Directory

Clinical Evaluation of AI Decision Support for Early Rehabilitation After Surgery

After gastrointestinal or oncology surgery, it can be difficult to determine when a patient is ready to safely begin early rehabilitation or move toward discharge. Delays may prolong hospital stay, while premature decisions may increase risks. This study evaluates an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision support tool that analyzes routinely collected hospital data to identify patients who are likely ready for early rehabilitation and discharge planning after surgery. The tool provides a simple yes/no output to support clinicians in their decision-making. The AI tool does not replace clinical judgment. Treating physicians remain fully responsible for all care decisions. The purpose of this study is to examine how well this tool performs in clinical practice and how it can be safely and effectively implemented to support postoperative care.

Feasibility of a Multimodal Virtual Reality Intervention to Reduce Preoperative Anxiety in Cancer Surgery Patients

The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of an expanded virtual reality (VR) intervention designed to help prepare patients for cancer surgery. This study will: (1) assess the investigator's ability to recruit, retain, and engage participants, (2) evaluate how acceptable participants find the intervention through their feedback on its individual components. The investigators will also explore whether baseline anxiety levels or psychiatric history predict responses to the intervention, as well as look for any changes in perioperative anxiety and monitoring for any adverse effects associated with the intervention. This study will also investigate engagement of providing participants with a first-person VR session recordings to determine utility and whether post-session access is perceived as beneficial. Finally, preliminary pilot outcomes will examine whether increased engagement in the VR results in reductions in anxiety on the day of surgery.

Optimal Perioperative Pain Control in Minimally Invasive Abdominal Cancer Surgery

This is a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of 3 different types of routine pain management regimens used during clinically indicated, minimally invasive oncologic (cancer) surgery. This project is considered "Research" and participation is voluntary. Upon enrollment in this study, the research team will collect data from the patient's medical records. The patient will undergo all of the normal testing and procedures required pre-operatively (standard of care). The study team will then randomly assign the patient (like a flip of a coin) to one of three different study arms for pain management during surgery: 1. Laparoscopic Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (LapTAP) with Local Anesthetic (LA) 2. Laparoscopic Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (LapTAP) only 3. Local Anesthetic (LA) only The patient will receive standard pre- and post-operative care according to clinical guidelines (routine care). The study team will collect information from the patient's medical record for the first 24 hours after their surgery and upon discharge. This information will include pain scores, amount of medication required, any side effects the patient may have experienced, and satisfaction with pain control. Participation in the study will end upon discharge from the hospital.

Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis With FAPI-PET Imaging

Staging pancreatic cancer (PC) presents a clinical challenge. Triphasic whole body CT is the primary imaging method in diagnosing, staging and during follow up. Conventional PET/CT with 18F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) has its limitations and therefore has a secondary role in imaging pancreatic cancer patients. These conventional imaging methods are good in detecting primary tumors and distant metastasis but poor in detecting local lymph node metastasis. A new PET tracer, fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI), targets FAP, a protein overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts. It presents a potential new PET imagining tool. The objective of this prospective diagnostic study is to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FAPI-74 PET/CT in patients with PC. The aim is to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FAPI-74 in detection of local lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis in patient level in patients with PC in primary staging and when suspected recurrence. 100 patients with PC are enrolled on whom PET/CT studies are performed with the novel 18F-FAPI-74 tracer. The data will be collected between 2024-2026.

Preoperative Anemia in the Oncology Population and Associated Mortality

Anemia is a highly prevalent condition in the surgical population (1, 2). On the other hand, the oncology population is at higher risk of developing anemia due to specific treatments for the disease, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Preoperative anemia has been associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity and even mortality (3). Despite this, the prevalence of preoperative anemia in the Chilean oncology population has not been quantified. To answer this question, a retrospective cohort study was designed between January and December 2022 to quantify the prevalence of anemia in the surgical population of the National Cancer Institute. In addition, the impact on morbidity and mortality at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year will be evaluated. Statistical analysis will be performed using R. Studio Version 2023.09.1+494 (2023.09.1+494).