Clinical Research Directory

Proteomics and Physiological Parameters Predicting Complications After Colorectal Cancer Surgery

Study combines physiological data from wearables, continuous glucose montiors and proteomics to better assess risk of complications after colorectal surgery

Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Postoperative Delirium and Negative Emotions in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial to investigate the effects of intraoperative transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the incidence of postoperative delirium and negative emotional states (anxiety, depression) in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Perioperative Negative Emotions in Breast Cancer Surgery Patients

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial to investigate the effects of a single session of intraoperative transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on perioperative negative emotions (anxiety and depression), pain, nausea, sleep, and recovery in patients undergoing elective breast cancer surgery.

App-Assisted Swallowing Program After Oral Cancer Surgery

This study aims to examine the effects of a swallowing care program combined with an exercise mobile application (App) on swallowing function, anxiety, and quality of life in patients with oral cancer after flap reconstruction surgery. The goal is to determine whether integrating App-based swallowing exercises into postoperative care can improve rehabilitation outcomes compared with conventional care alone. A purposive sampling method will be used to recruit 72 participants from the surgical wards of a medical center in northern Taiwan. Eligible patients scheduled for oral cancer tumor resection and flap reconstruction will be identified through consultation with plastic surgeons. After screening and informed consent, participants will be assigned to a control group or an experimental group, with approximately 36 patients in each group. The control group will receive routine ward education and standard postoperative nursing care, while the experimental group will receive the same care plus an additional intervention using a swallowing exercise App. The intervention will begin on postoperative day 7, guided by the researcher. Follow-up assessments will be conducted during outpatient visits at postoperative week 4 and week 12. To minimize potential interference between participants, data collection will be performed sequentially-first for the control group, followed by the experimental group. Data will be collected through self-administered questionnaires or researcher-assisted interviews, including a demographic survey, the Postoperative Oral Dysfunction-10 (POD-10), the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), a Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety, and the EORTC QLQ-H\&N35 questionnaire for quality of life. Each assessment will take approximately 20-30 minutes. Participants may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participant characteristics. The chi-square test and independent t-test will be used to examine group homogeneity. Paired t-tests will be applied to evaluate within-group changes in swallowing function, anxiety, and quality of life before and after the intervention. The results of this study are expected to provide empirical evidence on the effectiveness of App-assisted swallowing rehabilitation for patients with oral cancer following reconstructive surgery, supporting the development of innovative, technology-based postoperative care models.

Dietary Supplements in Patients With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Prevention of CAD by targeting modifiable factors remains a key public health priority. L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C - Vit. C) and Omega 3 fatty acids, Eicosapentaenoic / Docosahexaenoic Acid (EPO/DHA), powerful but also necessary antioxidants for the human body, after observational studies as well as randomized studies seem to have a beneficial effect in the direction of the prevention of CVD with pleiotropic mechanisms. Lignin, a polymer of plant origin that is considered a dietary fiber, has a developed porous structure and can retain exogenous and endogenous toxins, and pathogenic microorganisms. Lactulose considered a prebiotic provides a selective substrate for the metabolism of saccharolytic bacteria with bifidogenic activity and multiple benefits to the host's gut health. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an established surgical intervention and treatment of symptoms of myocardial ischemia that improves patient survival Optimal Medical Therapy (OMT) after coronary arterial bypass grafting (CABG) as described in current clinical practice could be made even better by the addition of these beneficial food supplements. A randomized controlled trial is proposed in an intervention group of 54 post-CABG patients who will be given daily orally in addition to the usual medication, 1000 mg Vitamin C, 840 mg EPO/DHA, 2130 mg Lignin \& 720 mg Lactulose and a control group of 54 patients (Control Group) in which only usual medication will be administered. The intervention will take place from the 15th postoperative day when CAGB patients are discharged and lasts for 2.5 months (10 weeks) postoperatively. The data will be collected on the 15th, 80-90th postop day in 6 months and 12 months postop and then the statistical analysis of the data will be performed. Considering the number of CABG surgeries performed electively in our clinic, this study is expected to be completed in approximately 2-3 years from the day of initiation. The expected knowledge through the expected results such as these will emerge from this study is the potentially beneficial effect of our food supplements administration (intervention), i.e. Vitamin C, EPO/DHA, Lignin \& Lactulose, on the postoperative course of our patients. Some degree of improvement in the well-being and clinical picture of our patients postoperatively is expected, which will be thoroughly investigated in each phase of the study.

Pain Control and Quality of Recovery After Intravenous Methadone Versus Intravenous Remifentanil in Craniotomy Surgery

Postoperative pain is prevalent after intracranial surgery. Patients undergoing craniotomy are typically managed with short acting opioids to enable early and reliable post-operative neurological exam as well as avoid the risk of respiratory depression. However, a plethora of studies have shown that a majority of these patients experience moderate to severe pain in first 48 hours after surgery. Suboptimal pain control can lead to complications such as arterial hypertension and post-operative intracranial hemorrhage, and hence, increased morbidity and mortality. Intravenous (IV) methadone has a long analgesic half-life and has N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) properties. It has previously been shown to reduce postoperative opioid requirements, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative pain scores in patients that underwent orthopedic, abdominal, complex spine, and cardiac surgery. Similar findings have been shown in obstetric patients that underwent caesarean delivery under general anesthesia as well as patients that underwent gynecologic surgery and received IV methadone intraoperatively. In a recently published retrospective study, a single intraoperative dose of IV methadone was well tolerated with lower pain scores as well as MME (oral morphine milligram equivalents) requirements for up to 72 hours after elective intracranial surgery. IV methadone has, however, never been compared with conventional management via IV remifentanil for functional recovery in patients undergoing elective intercranial surgery. The investigator's hypothesis is that intravenous (IV) methadone is non-inferior to IV remifentanil in patients who undergo elective intracranial surgery. It offers the advantage of being a single dose noninvasive analgesic modality that may contribute to decreasing MME consumption during the first 72 hours postoperatively, controlling postoperative pain, and improving quality of recovery after surgery.

Effect of Erector Spinae (ESP) Block on Opioid Reduction and Enhanced Recovery After Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Patients undergoing spine surgery frequently experience significant pain after surgery. This can limit patient activity and hinder rehabilitation. If inadequately treated, severe pain can result in emotional and psychological distress and ultimately impact long-term function, and increase the risk of developing pain that lasts longer than six months associated with depression, anxiety and disability. More specifically, Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) block is a recently described plane block designed to block the dorsal and ventral rami of the thoracic spinal nerves. It has shown to be an effective modality for postoperative pain management as a part of multimodal analgesia in spinal surgery.

Postoperative Clinical and Neurophysiological Assessment of Patients After Open Heart Surgery

This study aims to investigate postoperative clinical, cognitive and neurophysiological assessment of patients after open heart surgery among sample of Egyptian patients.

Transfusion Requirements in Younger Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

TRICS-IV is an international, multi-centre, open-label randomized controlled trial of two commonly used transfusion strategies in moderate to high risk patients who are 65 years of age or younger undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass, using a superiority trial design.

Efficacy and Safety of Oxycodone Hydrochloride for Long-term Analgesia in ICU Patients

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if oxycodone hydrochloride works to manage pain in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. It will also assess the safety of oxycodone hydrochloride. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does oxycodone hydrochloride effectively lower the CPOT (Critical Care Pain Observation Tool) score in mechanically ventilated patients? 2. What medical problems do participants have when using oxycodone hydrochloride? Researchers will compare oxycodone hydrochloride to remifentanil to see if oxycodone works better to manage pain in these patients. Participants will: * Receive either oxycodone hydrochloride injection at a dose of 0.03-0.2 mg/kg/h or remifentanil injection at a dose of 2-9 μg/kg/h. * Have their pain scores assessed every 15 minutes until the CPOT score is less than 3. After reaching the target pain score, assessments will be done every 4 hours. * Have their vital signs and monitoring data recorded. * Have analgesia and sedation scores recorded from days 1 to 7 after administration, with drug dosages adjusted based on pain scores. * Have the incidence of adverse reactions and changes in gastrointestinal function observed and recorded from days 1 to 7 after administration. * If extubated within 7 days, relevant data will be collected based on the time of extubation. * Be followed up on day 28 through the electronic medical record system to gather data on the extubation success rate and incidence of complications within the 28-day period.

Phase II Study of Postoperative Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESO- Shanghai 17)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate safety and 2-year local control rate for postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.