Clinical Research Directory

The Erector Spinae Plane Block For Gastrointestinal Malignancy Pain Treatment (EGIPT)

This study will target patients with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy who present to any of 4 Penn Medicine emergency departments (EDs) with intractable abdominal pain. We will offer eligible patients an erector spinae plane block (ESPB), a regional anesthesia technique which is already offered to such patients in the ED at the University of Pennsylvania Healthy System (UPHS), for their intractable abdominal pain. We will compare the outcomes of this prospective cohort of patients to a matched historical control of patients with GI malignancy who were treated in the ED during the same time period as recruitment, but who were not recruited to partake in the study and who were managed with standard of care. Opioid consumption as measured by total milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs) over a 24-hour period and hospital length of stay (LOS) will be compared between cohorts. Additionally, for the ESPB cohort, pain level pre/post ESPB, and functionality and satisfaction with pain management at 24 hours will also be examined.

Virtual Contexts for Affective Modulation

This study investigates how spatial context and perceived controllability modulate pain, affective states such as anxiety, and motivated behavior. The study examines how control over pain and threat-related environments influences pain perception, state anxiety, associated autonomic responses, and behavior. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does having control over pain within specific contexts alter how much pain people feel-even when the stimulus intensity remains constant? How do different types of environments (safe, controllable, or uncontrollable) shape pain-related brain activity, subjective anxiety, and physiological arousal? How do people perform cognitively demanding or distracting tasks (and retain their memory) when under threat versus when in control? Lastly, how do these learned associations with spatial contexts persist or adapt when environmental contingencies are explicitly changed? Taken together, exploration of these factors may lay the groundwork for understanding how placebo-related mechanisms-including perceived control, contextual learning, emotional engagement, and distraction-interact to shape pain and anxiety in complex environments.

Pain Control Alternatives in Pediatric Patients With Distal Radius Fractures

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a hematoma block and minimal ketamine pain control or hematoma block and intranasal fentanyl in pediatric patients presenting with distal radius fractures requiring reduction, compared to control of standard full conscious sedation using ketamine.

RCT: Suzetrigine vs Norco for Post-op Pain

Journavx (suzetrigine) is a novel non-opioid analgesic that is FDA approved for acute pain management and may offer a promising alternative for managing postoperative pain. Suzetrigine is selective inhibitor of the sodium channel NaV1.8, for managing acute pain. NaV1.8, a sodium channel, plays a key role in transmitting pain signals. Importantly, this channel is minimally expressed in the brain, enabling effective pain control without the potential central nervous system side effects of respiratory depression and addiction associated with opioids. Clinical trials have shown Journavx to be effective in managing moderate to severe post-operative pain equal to that of opiates. This study aims to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of Journavx in managing post-operative pain after third molar removal and orthognathic surgery. Participants in this study should be aged 18-45 without significant autoimmune diseases, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, chronic pain disorder including temporomandibular joint disorder, bleeding disorders, pregnant or nursing, undergoing either extraction of both lower third molars or orthognathic surgery of both the maxilla and mandible.