Clinical Research Directory

Mindfulness in Fracture Recovery and Reduction of Opioid Reliance: Evaluating the Feasibility of Implementing a Brief, Mindfulness-based Intervention to Manage Pain and Anxiety Before and After Fracture Surgery

Breaking a bone is not only physically painful but also emotionally overwhelming. Patients often experience intense pain, anxiety, and uncertainty as they are rushed to hospital, undergo emergency treatment, and prepare for surgery. After surgery, many continue to struggle with pain and rely on opioid medications, which carry serious risks including addiction. In the context of our current opioid epidemic, it's critical that alternative treatment strategies are urgently evaluated. Mindfulness is a practice that helps people focus on the present and has been shown to reduce stress and pain in other settings. In this trial, patients with broken arms or legs who need surgery at Hamilton General Hospital will be randomly assigned to one of two groups who will listen to a two-part, audio recording before and after surgery. Those in the interventional group will engage in a 7-minute audio-guided mindfulness exercise before surgery to help reduce anxiety, and another 7-minute audio-guided mindfulness exercise after surgery to help manage pain. Those in the control group will listen to a 7-minute educational audio recording before surgery and again after surgery. The main goal is to see if this approach is practical-can enough patients be recruited, and will they complete the audio recordings? The study will also look at early signs of whether the intervention helps reduce pain, anxiety, and opioid use six weeks after surgery. If feasible, a larger study can be conducted to determine if these exercises can help patients manage pain and reduce their need for opioids after surgery. If successful, this simple, low-cost approach could be widely used in hospitals to support recovery and reduce reliance on pain medications.

Pre-Incision Peripheral Nerve Blocks for Lower Extremity Fracture Surgery in Older Adults

Fractures of the lower leg are especially difficult for older adults. They are more likely to have serious complications, require longer healing times, and have a higher risk of death This occurs because their bodies cannot tolerate stress as well as younger individuals. The injury itself places significant strain on the body, and surgery adds additional stress. Anesthesiologists use nerve blocks to help manage pain during and after these injuries. A nerve block is an injection that numbs the fracture and surgery area by blocking pain signals. These injections help patients need fewer opioid medications. However, new research shows these nerve blocks may provide benefits beyond pain management. Studies looking at older adults with hip fractures who received nerve blocks showed better overall outcomes: fewer deaths, fewer serious complications, and shorter hospital stays. However, it is not currently known if nerve blocks work this well for other broken bones in the leg, like in the thigh or shin. Additional research is need to know if nerve blocks can help patients with all types of leg fractures recover faster and experience fewer problems. Before the investigators start a large clinical trial, a small pilot study needs to be completed to determine if a larger clinical trial is feasible. This pilot study will evaluate the ability to recruit enough patients, ensure patients can receive the assigned treatment, collect data effectively, follow the study protocol, and track participants over time. The results will indicate whether the investigators are prepared to proceed with a full-scale trial and help refine the approach.

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.

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for People With Persistent Pain Following Orthopedic Trauma

The purpose of this single-arm trial is to determine the feasibility of emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) for individuals with persistent pain following orthopedic trauma. As part of this study, participants will be asked to attend weekly EAET treatment sessions and complete assessments (including pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up) consisting of questionnaires and sensory testing procedures.