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TraumaNCT01169025

Fentanyl vs. Low-Dose Ketamine for the Relief of Moderate to Severe Pain in Aeromedical Patients

A study testing Ketamine and Fentanyl in people with Trauma and Pain, run by University of Utah at 1 site in United States.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
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Trial summary

Often, patients transported by aeromedical systems do not receive enough medication to control and relieve their pain. The purpose of this study is to determine if pain treatment with intravenous (IV) ketamine is a better way to treat aeromedical patients' pain than the current treatment practices. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Trauma, Pain
What is being tested?
Ketamine and Fentanyl
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2012to Oct 2014
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age > 18 years
  • Moderate to severe acute, traumatic pain (self-reported NRS > 5)
  • Ability to provide informed consent in English
  • Flight destination to University of Utah Medical Center

Who cannot join

  • Inability to use the NRS pain rating scale
  • Historical or acute myocardial infarction or ischemia
  • Ongoing hypertensive emergency
  • Unconsciousness
  • Allergic reaction to ketamine
  • Increased intracranial or intraocular pressure
  • Known pregnancy
  • Prisoner

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Utah Medical Center

    Salt Lake City, Utah, 84132

Other trials in United States

About this study

Often, patients transported by aeromedical systems do not receive enough medication to control and relieve their pain. The purpose of this study is to determine if pain treatment with intravenous (IV) ketamine is a better way to treat aeromedical patients' pain than the current treatment practices.

Read the detailed description

Specific Aims: The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy, side effects and safety of sub-dissociative doses of ketamine in controlling acute traumatic pain in patients transported by an aeromedical system when compared to standard doses of fentanyl.

Research Hypothesis: Aeromedical transport patients with acute pain treated with intravenous ketamine show a clinically significant difference in mean numeric rating scale (NRS) pain scores as compared to those treated with fentanyl and show no increase in adverse events.

Background and Significance: Treatment of acute pain in aeromedical transport patients is important. Treatment may be limited by real or perceived concerns regarding analgesic side effects including sedation, loss of airway maintenance, and negative hemodynamic consequences. Ketamine used in sub-dissociative doses has strong analgesic properties while maintaining protective airway reflexes and demonstrating minimal adverse hemodynamic effects. It has been suggested as an ideal pre-hospital analgesic. Current literature regarding its use in the pre-hospital environment is limited.

Experimental Design: This prospective, double-blind, randomized trial compares 0.3 mg/kg of intravenous (IV) ketamine to 1 mcg/kg of IV fentanyl in adult aeromedical transport patients who require pain control. The primary outcome measure will be the change in NRS pain scores at ten minutes compared between the two groups. Secondary endpoints will include rates of adverse events, differences in the slope of NRS scores over time, the total amount of fentanyl/kg body weight/minute of flight required, overall research participant satisfaction with their level of pain relief at the end of the flight, and the subjective ranking of pain recall in comparison to other aspects of the patient's overall episode of care (pre-hospital, emergency department, inpatient, and post-discharge care), as measured at 30 days.

Data Analysis: Categorical variables will be analyzed using chi-square and Fisher's exact test. Means of normally distributed variables will be compared using Student's t-test, and distributions of non-normally distributed variables will be compared using Mann-Whitney U. Bayesian generalized linear mixed modeling will be employed to model the time-dependent change in NRS scores between intervention groups while accounting for the autocorrelation inherent in a repeated measures design. SAS statistical software (SAS v. 9.2, Cary, NC) and WinBUGS software will be used for all analyses.

Conditions
Trauma, Pain
Being tested
Ketamine, Fentanyl
Keywords
Analgesia, Pain
Medical subject headings
Wounds and Injuries, Pain, Agnosia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • KetamineDrug

    Also called Ketalar, Ketamine hydrochloride

    Subjects receive 0.3 mg/kg IV ketamine over 5 minutes and are evaluated every 10 minutes. Residual or recurring pain will be treated as needed with adjunctive open-label bolus dosing of IV fentanyl (1 mcg/kg) followed by repeat boluses as needed every 10 minutes during the flight. For this open-label portion of the flight, subjects are asked if they need additional pain medication every 10 minutes, unless an earlier, spontaneous request is made by the subject or the provider determines that more is needed. For the potential of rare ketamine side effects (dysphoria, anxiety, or agitation), 2 mg IV midazolam is given every 5 minutes as needed for any of these symptoms. Vital signs are measured continuously throughout the protocol. Blood pressure is measured at 5 minute intervals.

  • FentanylDrug

    Also called Fentanil, Sublimaze, Actiq, Durogesic

    Subjects receive 1 mcg/kg IV fentanyl over 5 minutes. After first dose administration, subjects are evaluated every 10 minutes. Residual or recurring pain is treated as needed with adjunctive open-label bolus dosing of IV fentanyl (1 mcg/kg) followed by repeat boluses as needed every 10 minutes during the flight. For this open-label portion of the flight, flight nurses will query participants regarding their desire for additional pain medication every 10 minutes unless an earlier, spontaneous request is made by the participant or the provider determines that more is needed. Vital signs are measured continuously throughout the protocol. Blood pressure is measured at 5 minute intervals.

Study groups in NCT01169025
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
KetamineExperimentalSubjects receive 0.3 mg/kg IV ketamine over 5 minutes and are evaluated every 10 minutes. Residual or recurring pain will be treated as needed with adjunctive open-label bolus dosing of IV fentanyl (1 mcg/kg) followed by repeat boluses as needed every 10 minutes during the flight. For this open-label portion of the flight, subjects are asked if they need additional pain medication every 10 minutes, unless an earlier, spontaneous request is made by the subject or the provider determines that more is needed. For the potential of rare ketamine side effects (dysphoria, anxiety, or agitation), 2 mg IV midazolam is given every 5 minutes as needed for any of these symptoms. Vital signs are measured continuously throughout the protocol. Blood pressure is measured at 5 minute intervals.
Receives: Drug: Ketamine
FentanylActive comparatorSubjects receive 1 mcg/kg IV fentanyl over 5 minutes. After first dose administration, subjects are evaluated every 10 minutes. Residual or recurring pain is treated as needed with adjunctive open-label bolus dosing of IV fentanyl (1 mcg/kg) followed by repeat boluses as needed every 10 minutes during the flight. For this open-label portion of the flight, flight nurses will query participants regarding their desire for additional pain medication every 10 minutes unless an earlier, spontaneous request is made by the participant or the provider determines that more is needed. Vital signs are measured continuously throughout the protocol. Blood pressure is measured at 5 minute intervals.
Receives: Drug: Fentanyl

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in NRS pain scores

    The primary outcome measure will be the change in NRS pain scores at ten minutes compared between the subjects administered ketamine and those administered fentanyl.

    Measured: Assessed every 6 months.

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Rates of adverse events

    Includes comparisons of clinically significant complications between the two regimens: post-administration respiratory depression as evidenced by either a step up in supplemental oxygen requirements or the need for an airway intervention; episodes of hypotension or hypertension; significant tachycardia; new subjective participant complaints of dysphoria, anxiety, or agitation at any time following drug administration.

    Measured: Assessed every 6 months

  2. Change in NRS pain scores over time

    Evaluate the differences in the slope of the NRS pain scores over time.

    Measured: 24 months from start of enrollment

  3. Amount of fentanyl required

    Measurement of the total amount of fentanyl/kg body weight/minute of flight that was required to treat patients' pain.

    Measured: 24 months from start of enrollment

  4. Participant satisfaction

    Overall research participant satisfaction with their level of pain relief at the end of the flight.

    Measured: 24 months from start of enrollment

  5. Pain Recall

    The subjective ranking of pain recall in comparison to other aspects of the patient's overall episode of care (pre-hospital, emergency department, inpatient, and post-discharge care), as measured at 30 days.

    Measured: 24 months from start of enrollment

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Jul 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2012
  3. Primary completionSep 2014 (estimated)
  4. Study completionOct 2014 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01169025
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB_00040229
Status last verified
Jun 2012
First submitted
7 Jul 2010
Last updated
4 Jun 2012
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Ketamine and Fentanyl in people with Trauma and Pain, run by University of Utah at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Jun 2012. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in NRS pain scores (time frame: Assessed every 6 months.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Jun 2012.

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