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Postoperative PainPhase 4NCT03763734

High-Dose Steroid for Knee Arthroplasty Patients Expected to Have Postoperative Pain

A Phase 4 study testing Dexamethasone in people with Postoperative Pain and Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, run by Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre at 2 sites in Denmark.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of the Study is to test a higher dose of steroids(Dexamethasone) given just prior to surgery in the setting of Fast-Track Knee surgery with Arthroplasty in a group of expected High Pain Responders and the effect on postoperative pain and postoperative inflammation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 40 to 90 years
What is being tested?
Dexamethasone
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
88 participants
Where
2 sitesDenmark
Study dates
29 Jan 2019to 1 Jan 2021
Phase
Phase 4
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 40 to 90 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age between 40 and 90.
  • Booked for unilateral knee-arthroplasty.
  • Is able to take part in the investigation(selfreported pain and nausea/vomiting)
  • Understands Danish or English, or has a translator available.
  • Signed written consent.
  • A daily use of 30 mg or more of morphine or morphine equivalents .
  • A pain catastrophizing scale(PCS) score of >20.

Who cannot join

  • Insulin-dependent diabetes melitus.
  • Ongoing treatment with systemic glucocorticoids or immunosuppressing treatment(apart from inhaled glucocorticoids).
  • Pregnancy/Breastfeeding
  • Allergies for the investigational drug.
  • A history of schizophrenia or bipolar diseases, or patients with permanent use of antipsychotic medication.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Denmark2 sites
  • Hvidovre Hospital, Capital Region of Denmark.

    Hvidovre, 2650

  • Vejle Sygehus

    Vejle, 7100

Other trials in Denmark

About this study

Official title: High-Dose Steroids in High Pain Responders Undergoing Total Knee-arthroplasty: A Randomized Double Blinded Controlled Trial

The purpose of the Study is to test a higher dose of steroids(Dexamethasone) given just prior to surgery in the setting of Fast-Track Knee surgery with Arthroplasty in a group of expected High Pain Responders and the effect on postoperative pain and postoperative inflammation.

Read the detailed description

This study compares a new High-Dose dosage of steroids in the treatment of postoperative pain after Knee Arthroplasty in a Fast-Track setting in a group of expected High Pain Responders.

The investigators compare the already used dose(medium dose) with a new high dose(HD) steroid given as an intravenous bolus after the spinal anaesthesia has been given, but before the surgery starts.

The hypothesis is that by attenuating the inflammatory response to the surgery itself by the steroid Dexamethasone, the investigators expect a reduction in postoperative pain upon ambulation 24 hours after unilateral Knee Arthroplasty.

Patients referred to Unilateral Total KneeArthroplasty because of knee-osteoarthritis at Hvidovre Hospital, Capital Region of Denmark or Vejle Hospital, South Region of Denmark are screened and offered inclusion in the study.

The two groups will be randomized and double blinded. One group will be treated, as the current guideline in the investigator's Orthopedic fast-track Arthroplasty center, with the medium dose of steroid (0,3 mg dexamethasone/kg bodyweight).

The other group wil be treated with a high dose of steroid (1,0 mg dexamethasone/kg bodyweight).

The patients will be monitored the first 7 days after surgery, during the admission to the hospital, and by a Pain-diary in the patients own home.

Blood tests will be taken preoperatively and postoperatively to determine the effect of the highdose steroid on the inflammatory response.

Being tested
Dexamethasone
Keywords
Knee Arthroplasty, Knee Replacement, Perioperative Medicine
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, Osteoarthritis, Knee, Postoperative Complications, Chronic Pain

What participants receive

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

  • DexamethasoneDrug

    Also called Dexa-ratiopharm

    An intravenous bolus dose of dexamethasone given prior to surgery.

Study groups in NCT03763734
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
High dose DexamethasoneExperimentalAn intravenous bolus dose of Dexamethasone 1 mg/kg bodyweight administered preoperatively before surgery.
Receives: Drug: Dexamethasone
Medium dose DexamethasoneActive comparatorAn intravenous bolus dose of Dexamethasone 0,3 mg/kg bodyweight administered preoperatively before surgery.
Receives: Drug: Dexamethasone

What is being measured

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

  1. Postoperative pain after 24 hours: VAS

    The amount of patients with moderate postoperative pain in a 5 meter walk test 24 hours postoperatively after total knee-arthroplasty.

    Pain is monitored by the Visual Analog Scale(VAS) 0-100 mm, where 0 is no pain and 100 mm is the worst pain. Moderate pain is considered a VAS >30 mm.

    Measured: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Postoperative opioid usage

    The amount of rescue opioids given in the postoperative period, and until 7 days after surgery.

    Measured: 7 days

  2. Postoperative antiemetics usage

    The amount of rescue antiemetics given in the postoperative period, and until 7 days after surgery.

    Measured: 7 days

  3. The inflammatory response expressed by C-reactive protein(CRP).

    The inflammatory response is monitored by the blood-sample c-reactive protein(CRP) and analyzed to se the possible attenuation of the response because of dexamethasone.

    Measured: 2 days

  4. Postoperative pain summarized in the first 7 days

    Pain summarized over the first 7 days after surgery, assessed by a summation of the Visual Analog Scale(VAS)-scores in the first 7 days as noted in the pain diary filed in by the participants.

    Pain is monitored by the Visual Analog Scale(VAS) 0-100 mm, where 0 is no pain and 100 mm is the worst pain one can imagine. Moderate pain is considered a VAS >30 mm.

    Measured: 7 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted4 Dec 2018
  2. Study start29 Jan 2019
  3. Primary completion1 Jan 2021
  4. Study completion1 Jan 2021

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 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
A randomized double blinded controlled trial.
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
88 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03763734
Sponsor's protocol ID
NBF_HK_02_2018
Status last verified
Jun 2021
First submitted
28 Nov 2018
Last updated
30 Jun 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Nielsen NI, Kehlet H, Gromov K, Troelsen A, Husted H, Varnum C, Kjaersgaard-Andersen P, Rasmussen LE, Pleckaitiene L, Foss NB. High-dose steroids in high pain responders undergoing total knee arthroplasty: a randomised double-blind trial. Br J Anaesth. 2022 Jan;128(1):150-158. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2021.10.001. Epub 2021 Nov 5.

    PubMed 34749994

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Dexamethasone in people with Postoperative Pain and Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, run by Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre at 2 sites in Denmark.

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 7 inclusion and 5 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Jun 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Denmark. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Postoperative pain after 24 hours: VAS (time frame: 24 hours). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03763734, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 30 Jun 2021.

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