Clinical Research Directory

Ketamine Versus Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant in Scalp Block in Supratentorial Brain Tumor Excision Surgeries

Supratentorial brain tumor surgeries are associated with significant nociceptive stimulation and postoperative pain, which may adversely affect patient outcomes. Scalp block has emerged as an effective regional anesthetic technique to improve analgesia and reduce opioid consumption. Objective: To compare efficacy of ketamine versus dexmedetomidine as adjuvants to bupivacaine in scalp blocks for supratentorial brain tumor surgeries, focusing on analgesia, opioid consumption, and hemodynamic stability. Methods: This randomized double-blinded controlled trial included 80 patients undergoing supratentorial tumor excision, allocated equally into two groups: Group K received bupivacaine with ketamine (2 mg/kg), and Group D received bupivacaine with dexmedetomidine (1 µg/kg). Intraoperative hemodynamics, fentanyl consumption, postoperative pain scores (NRS), analgesic requirements, and complications were assessed.

Impact of Communication Delays on Anesthesia Response to Medical Emergencies and Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia

Hypotheses The investigators hypothesize that a communication delay of 80 seconds compared to no delay will be associated with longer procedural times and decreased quality during brachial plexus block scanning. Secondly, the communication delay will be associated with more errors in treatment and a delay of essential treatments in a medical emergency. Background The near future will see crewed missions in deep space. As the number of people travelling to space increases, so will the chances of traumatic injury and other medical emergencies. Given many changes to body systems in microgravity and the scarcity of equipment and personnel in space, treating medical emergencies is already very difficult. Because most pain medications interfere with cognition, and general anesthesia would be very risky in these conditions, regional anesthesia ('nerve blocks') has been suggested as a less risky alternative. However, nerve blocks are highly specialized skills and responding to medical emergencies in general requires extensive medical training, it is likely that astronauts will require guidance from earth-based physicians. As crews venture deeper into space, the ability of teams to communicate in real time with earth-based medical teams decreases. For missions to the moon, communication delays of 3 to 160 seconds in each direction are expected. In the event of a medical emergency, space crews may require consultation with ground teams. The investigators predict that this communication delay will impact task duration, create opportunities for miscommunication and potentially result in higher rates of complications. Objectives * Quantify the difference (communication delay versus no delay) in time to identify critical structures while scanning brachial plexus block sonoanatomy and time to essential treatment during a medical emergency. * Quantify the difference (communication delay versus no delay) in quality and ease of imaging while scanning brachial plexus block sonoanatomy. * Quantify the difference in completeness of emergency treatment using a composite measure (communication delay versus no delay). * Describe the challenges and solutions for team functioning and remote mentorship when a communication delay exists. Methods This is a within-subjects, mixed-methods, simulation-based randomized study. Regional anesthesia novices (medical students) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) medical technicians or CAF nurses will be recruited and given a 4-hour training session on the basics of brachial plexus blocks and their complications. Participants will be placed in teams of 3, participating in two simulation scenarios. Once the team enters the simulation space, they will be able to ask for assistance from a "remote" team of experts. Teams will be guided through identifying the sonoanatomy for brachial plexus blocks and responding to a complication from placing a peripheral nerve block. Every team will complete both the no communication delay and 80-second communication delay. Teams will be randomly assigned the order in which they perform each condition. Time to "block" (when the participant identifies where they would place the local anesthetic) and time to essential treatments during an emergency will be recorded. Participants will rate the ease of ultrasound image acquisition and ease of communication, while the expert team will rate the quality of the ultrasound images and the ease of communication. Quantitative outcomes will be analyzed using univariate statistics. After the scenario, teams will debrief the scenario with a focus on communication, safe identification of target nerves and their ability to respond to a complication. Transcriptions of the debriefing sessions will be analyzed for themes using qualitative analysis.

Retrospective Analysis of Pain After Nerve Block in Surgical Patients

This is a retrospective study looking at patients who received a nerve block for surgery and assessing pain after the nerve block resolves, with or without an educational intervention, over two periods of time.

Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) Block Combined With Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve (LFCN) Block or Wound Infiltration for Postoperative Analgesia in Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This prospective, randomized controlled trial aims to compare two multimodal regional anesthesia strategies for postoperative analgesia in elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed via anterior approach. Patients will be randomized to receive either a Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) block combined with a Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve (LFCN) block, or a PENG block combined with wound infiltration (WI). The primary outcome is postoperative pain intensity at rest, measured by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 6 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include dynamic pain scores at 6, 24, and 48 hours, total opioid consumption, time to first rescue analgesia, quadriceps strength, hip flexion angle, length of stay, and adverse events. All procedures are routinely used in clinical practice and carry minimal additional risk. Safety will be continuously monitored by the Principal Investigator and the study team according to an internal Safety Monitoring Plan.

Randomized Trial of Erector Spinae Plane Block Using Liposomal Bupivacaine Versus Bupivacaine Hydrochloride on Quality of Recovery for Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has emerged as the standard surgical modality for pulmonary tumor. Compared with open thoracotomy, VATS is associated with reduced surgical trauma, attenuated postoperative pain, and a lower incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. Nevertheless, 27-63% of VATS patients still develop moderate to severe postoperative pain, with the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) remaining at 25-44%. Regional analgesic techniques constitute a pivotal component of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in thoracic surgery. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and paravertebral block (PVB) have been regarded as the gold-standard regional analgesic modalities for open thoracotomy. Accumulating evidence indicates that erector spinae plane block (ESPB) achieves postoperative analgesic efficacy comparable to that of PVB. In contrast to TEA, both PVB and ESPB are associated with a lower risk of complications such as hypotension, urinary retention, and epidural hematoma. A recent randomized controlled trial comparing continuous ESPB and continuous PVB demonstrated that continuous ESPB improves the quality of postoperative recovery in VATS patients. Previous studies have also confirmed that single-injection ESPB provides superior recovery quality and analgesic efficacy compared with single-injection PVB in VATS patients. However, single-dose nerve block only exert effects for 8-12 hours, while continuous nerve blocks may increase the risk of infection and compromise patient comfort. Moderate to severe postoperative pain in VATS patients predominantly occurs within the first 48 hours postoperatively, with the most intense pain typically observed on the first postoperative day. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore analgesic techniques with prolonged duration and fewer complications for application in VATS. Liposomal bupivacaine, a novel extended-release local anesthetic approved by the FDA for clinical use, can prolong the duration of local anesthesia to 72 hours. Its clinical efficacy in procedures such as brachial plexus block has been validated. However, the application of liposomal bupivacaine in erector spinae plane block for VATS, and its impact on the quality of postoperative recovery, remains unreported.This study will test the hypothesis that erector spinae plane block with liposomal bupivacaine for VATS can enhance patients' quality of recovery-15 score (QoR-15) at 48 h.

Height Adjusted Versus Standardized Dose of Bupivacaine for Spinal Anesthesia

General anesthesia during pregnancy is associated with several major risks including unanticipated difficult airway, pulmonary aspiration, and specific anesthetic effects on the newborn. Thus, intrathecal anesthesia is the technique of choice for cesarean section. Nevertheless, the main side effect of intrathecal anesthesia is arterial hypotension which depend mainly on the dose of local anesthetic administered intrathecally. To date there is no guidelines nor evidences whic help the anesthetist to precisely estimate the required dose. Most often a "standardized dose" of 8 to 10 mg of bupivacaine is administered. However, some data suggest that a lower dose may be administered resulting in less frequent arterial hypotension. Nevertheless, a well designed randomized study is lacking.

TPVB or SPSIPB in Pain Management After VATS

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the analgesic efficacy of thoracal paravertebral block (TPVB) and serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block (SPSIPB) in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The main questions it aims to answer are: How will the total perioperative opioid consumption of the patients receiving two different blocks change? How will TPVB and SPSIPB effect the patients' numeric rating scores for pain in the postoperative 24-hour period? How will TPVB and SPSIPB effect the incidence of opioid related side effects? Participants will be divided in two groups: TPVB group will receive a TPVB before the surgery. SPSIPB group will receive a SPSIPB nerve block before the surgery. Researchers will compare the results between the groups to see the postoperative effects concerning opioid consumption as well as the pain scores, respiratory parameters and opioid associated side effects. The hypothesis of this study is that participants receiving SPSIPB for VATS will have a less total opioid consumption 24 hours postoperatively.

Maxillary and Mandibular Nerve Block. Block One Get One Free.

Ultrasound-guided maxillary nerve block is mandatory for perioperative pain management of surgeries involving the middle third of the face. The suprazygomatic approach to the maxillary nerve has proven to be the safest and most effective. The volume used for maxillary nerve block remains a matter of debate; and this study aims to compare and study the dispersion of 2 - 5ml injected into the ptergopalatine fossa, and to know the reach of the mandibular nerve with this block.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Two Methods of Regional Anesthesia During S-ICD Implantation Procedure.

Our study consists of a combination of regional blockade ('local' anesthesia) of the anterior and lateral chest wall in the form of a thin needle prick and the supply of local anesthetic drugs to the area of the relevant chest wall structures to exclude all stimuli, including pain from the operative site. A short-acting analgesic and sedative drug will be administered intravenously throughout the procedure - in a dose that allows the required contact between the patient and the anesthetist. If necessary, the dose of the drug may be increased to maintain pain comfort throughout the procedure. The anesthetic team will be with the patient throughout the procedure to ensure comfort and safety.

Motor Sparing Supraclavicular Block

This study aims to compare MS-SCBPB and SCBPB in the duration of postoperative analgesia, time to first analgesic request (VAS ≥40 mm), pain scores, motor power, and side effects.

EOI Block Versus ESP Block in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

This study aims to compare a single shot of bilateral ultrasound-guided EOI block and ESPB in terms of intraoperative opioid consumption, postoperative pain control in the first 24 hours, and the need for rescue analgesics.