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Post-Operative PainNCT01861587

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of tDCS in the Management of Perioperative Pain

A study testing tDCS in people with Post-Operative Pain, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.

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 this study is to determine whether a new medical technology can help reduce post-operative pain. The new technology is called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Post-Operative Pain
What is being tested?
tDCS
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
27 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Oct 2014to Oct 2014
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 18 years-75 years of age
  • surgery at Medical University of South Carolina
  • at least 2 days of post-operative stay

Who cannot join

  • history of seizures or epilepsy
  • family history of seizures
  • taking any medications shown to lower seizure threshold
  • metal implants above the waist
  • pregnant
  • brain tumors or lesions
  • pacemaker

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry

    Charleston, South Carolina, 29425

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new medical technology can help reduce post-operative pain. The new technology is called Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Read the detailed description

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the management of postoperative pain. Specifically, this study will determine whether patients undergoing any type of inpatient surgical procedure that routinely requires at least a 1-day inpatient stay post-operatively will report less pain and use less opioid analgesics following a series of 20-minute sessions of tDCS (compared to sham tDCS) delivered up to twice per day post-operatively. In addition to comparing the effects of real tDCS to sham tDCS, the present study will evaluate the interaction of dose (number and frequency of tDCS sessions) and surgery type.

Being tested
tDCS
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative

What participants receive

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

  • tDCSDevice

    20 minutes of either real or sham stimulation

Study groups in NCT01861587
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Real tDCS:Active ComparatorExperimentalFor Real tDCS, stimulation will be delivered in 20-minute-sessions using 2mA current. The anode will be placed over left BA9 or the motor cortex corresponding with the painful area (if applicable). The cathode will be placed over right BA43 (for GI pain) or right BA9 (located via the international 10-20 EEG system).
Receives: Device: tDCS
Sham tDCS: Sham ComparatorExperimentalFor sham tDCS, the device will be turned on for 30 seconds and then turned off for the duration of the 20-minute session.
Receives: Device: tDCS

What is being measured

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

  1. Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Hydromorphone Usage

    The PCA pump usage was downloaded from the PCA pump after discharge from the hospital.

    Measured: Participants were followed for the duration of hospital stay, an average of 48 hours.

  2. Average Pain at Least

    To assess each participant's average pain at it's least in the past 24 hours, The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-short form will be administered. The BPI rapidly assesses the severity of pain and its impact on functioning and has been widely used in both research and clinical settings. Participants rate their average pain at it's least in the past 24 hours using a 0-10 numerical rating scale, where 0=no pain and 10=extreme pain.

    Measured: Baseline and Discharge

  3. Average Pain at Worst

    To assess each participant's average pain at it's worst in the past 24 hours at Baseline, The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-short form will be administered. The BPI rapidly assesses the severity of pain and its impact on functioning and has been widely used in both research and clinical settings. Participants rate their average pain at it's worst in the past 24 hours using a 0-10 numerical rating scale, where 0=no pain and 10=extreme pain.

    Measured: Baseline Only

  4. Average Pain

    To assess each participant's pain on average in the past 24 hours at Baseline, The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-short form will be administered. The BPI rapidly assesses the severity of pain and its impact on functioning and has been widely used in both research and clinical settings. Participants rate their pain on average in the past 24 hours using a 0-10 numerical rating scale, where 0=no pain and 10=extreme pain.

    Measured: Baseline Only

Timeline

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

  1. First posted23 May 2013 (estimated)
  2. Study startOct 2014
  3. Primary completionOct 2014
  4. Study completionOct 2014

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
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider
Enrolment
27 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01861587
Sponsor's protocol ID
HR18682
Status last verified
Jul 2018
First submitted
26 Apr 2012
Last updated
7 Aug 2018

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing tDCS in people with Post-Operative Pain, run by Medical University of South Carolina 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 3 inclusion and 7 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 7 Aug 2018. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 10 Jul 2018). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Hydromorphone Usage (time frame: Participants were followed for the duration of hospital stay, an average of 48 hours.). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. 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 7 Aug 2018.

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