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Rib Fracture clinical trials at University of California Health

3 in progress, 0 open to eligible people

Showing trials for
  • Dexmedotomidine for Acute Pain Control in Patients With Multiple Rib FracturesRandomized Controlled Trial

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Blunt chest trauma is the second most common form of unintentional trauma in the US and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Thoracic injuries are the third most common cause of death in trauma patients. Rib fractures have an increased associated risk of pneumonia, prolonged hospitalization, and cost. The associated severe pain leads to poor pulmonary mechanics, which contributes to additional complications. Treatment for rib fractures is focused on optimizing analgesia and intense pulmonary hygiene. Most common strategies utilize early mobilization, incentive spirometry (IS), and multimodal pain regimens. A variety of techniques for analgesia after blunt chest trauma exist. Epidural analgesia is one of the best-studied methods and can often provide significant pain relief. However, this method is invasive, has associated complications, and often can be contraindicated due to coagulopathy or other injuries. Most often a form of multimodal pain strategy is utilized which incorporates acetaminophen, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), trans-dermal lidocaine, and muscle relaxants. Opioids remain an important adjunct to control severe pain, however, narcotics have their own associated complications. The aim of our study is to use an infusion of dexmedetomidine (Precedex) to aid in pain management in patients presenting with 3 or more rib fractures. The investigators hypothesize that dexmedetomidine will decrease patient pain and opioid use.

    at UC Irvine

  • Rib Fracture Analgesia Using Cryoanalgesia

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    Rib fractures are one of the most common injuries in trauma patients. These fractures are associated with significant pain as well as decreased ability to inspire deeply or cough to clear secretions, which together lead to pulmonary complications and a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Peripheral nerve blocks as well as epidural blocks have been used with success to improve pain control in rib fracture patients and have been associated with decreased pulmonary complications and improved outcomes. However, a single-injection nerve block lasts less than 24 hours; and, even a continuous nerve block is generally limited to 3-4 days. The pain from rib fractures usually persists for multiple weeks or months. In contrast to local anesthetic-induced nerve blocks, a prolonged block lasting a few weeks/months may be provided by freezing the nerve using a process called "cryoneurolysis". The goal of this multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled, parallel-arm study is to evaluate the potential of cryoanalgesia to decrease pain and improve pulmonary mechanics in patients with rib fractures.

    at UCSD

  • Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis to Treat Pain Following Thoracic Trauma

    Sorry, accepting new patients by invitation only

    Thoracic trauma frequently involve rib fractures which can be very painful for 2-3 months. Unfortunately, pain is not simply a "symptom" of the injuries, but a significant cause of additional medical problems: pain causes people to breath and cough less deeply/often which increases the risk of collapsing little parts of the lung. These collapsed areas often lead to complications which can increase the risk of death. In addition, the higher the amount of pain in the weeks following the fracture, the higher the risk of developing persistent, chronic pain that can last indefinitely. So, providing excellent pain control is very important for a variety of reasons. Various nerve blocks can greatly decrease pain, but even the longest acting are measured in hours or days, and not the weeks and months for which rib fracture pain can last. Therefore, opioids-"narcotics"-are the most common pain control method provided to patients; but they frequently do not provide enough pain control, have undesirable side effects like nausea and vomiting, and are sometimes misused which can lead to addiction or overdose. A prolonged nerve block lasting multiple months from a single treatment may be provided by freezing the nerve using a process called "cryoneurolysis". With cryoneurolysis and ultrasound machines, a very small "probe" may be placed through anesthetized skin and guided to the target nerve to allow freezing. The procedure takes about 5 minutes for each nerve, involves little discomfort, has no side effects, and cannot be misused or addictive. After 2-3 months, the nerve returns to normal functioning. The investigators have completed a small study suggesting that a single cryoneurolysis treatment provides potent short- and long-term pain relief following thoracic trauma with rib fractures. The ultimate objective of the proposed research is to determine if percutaneous cryoneurolysis is an effective non-opioid, single-application treatment for pain following traumatic rib fracture. The current project is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, triple-masked (investigators, participants, statisticians), sham/placebo-controlled, parallel-arm, human-subjects, post-market clinical trial to determine if cryoneurolysis is an effective non-opioid treatment for pain following traumatic rib fractures.

    at UCSD

Our lead scientists for Rib Fracture research studies include .

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