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Pain, PostoperativePhase 4POPCORNNCT03677830

Postoperative Pain Control & Relief in Neonates

A Phase 4 study testing Acetaminophen and Saline in people with Pain, Postoperative and Premature Infant, run by St. Louis University at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Pain control for newborns has made significant improvements over the last 30 years. The use of narcotics remains the standard of care for neonates undergoing minor and major surgeries. Narcotics, however, are associated with adverse effects such as respiratory depression, prolonged intubation and withdrawal symptoms. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages Up to 1 monthHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Pain, Postoperative, Premature Infant, Opioid Use
What is being tested?
Acetaminophen and Saline
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
11 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
19 Apr 2019to 7 Mar 2024
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 Up to 1 month
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • All neonates ≥ 28 weeks of gestation and <44 weeks of gestation undergoing general surgery procedures (below) and managed postoperatively in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
  • Minor procedures Inguinal hernia repair Laparoscopic or open gastrostomy tube placement Peritoneal drain placement for spontaneous intestinal perforation Gastroschisis bedside patch closure
  • Major procedures Laparoscopic or open Nissen fundoplication, duodenal atresia repair, Hirschsprung pull through, Ladd's procedure or excision of abdominal cyst Thoracoscopy or thoracotomy procedure Enterostomy or colostomy creation Exploratory laparotomy Revision or closure of enterostomy or colostomy Any Gastroschisis or omphalocele repair in operating room Repair or staged repair of congenital anorectal malformations Resection of sacrococcygeal teratoma

Who cannot join

  • Any infant admitted with preoperative diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) or known intrauterine opiate exposure
  • Any diagnosis of hepatitis exclusive of TPN-related biliary cholestasis
  • Renal disease with creatinine >2.0 mg/dl at enrollment
  • Intraventricular hemorrhage grade 3 or greater, or cerebellar hemorrhage
  • Any patient with myotonic dystrophy or other congenital disease limiting validity of pain scoring
  • Opiate exposure within 14 days of operative procedure
  • Non-English-speaking parents/guardians

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

    St Louis, Missouri, 63104

Other trials in United States

About this study

Pain control for newborns has made significant improvements over the last 30 years. The use of narcotics remains the standard of care for neonates undergoing minor and major surgeries. Narcotics, however, are associated with adverse effects such as respiratory depression, prolonged intubation and withdrawal symptoms. Acetaminophen (Tylenol©) has been proposed as an adjunct to reduce narcotic use but current evidence from well designed studies in newborns and premature infants is limited. This study will randomly assign neonates undergoing a surgery to either morphine plus acetaminophen or morphine alone for pain control. The subjects will be followed for 72 hours after the operation and evaluate the benefits of acetaminophen for pain control.

Being tested
Acetaminophen, Saline
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative, Premature Birth

What participants receive

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

  • AcetaminophenDrug

    Also called Ofirmev 10 MG/ML Injectable Solution

    Scheduled intravenous acetaminophen for post-operative pain to minimize opiate exposure.

  • SalineDrug

    Intravenous saline will be administered at appropriate volume and schedule for control group as a placebo.

Study groups in NCT03677830
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intravenous AcetaminophenActive comparatorInfants randomized to the intervention arm will receive scheduled IV acetaminophen per LexiComp dosing guideline (28 0/7-32 6/7 weeks 10 mg/kg/dose every 12 hours; 33 0/7-38 6/7 weeks 10 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours; >39 0/7 weeks 10 mg/kg/dose every 6 hours). N-PASS scores will guide administration of IV morphine. Continuous infusion of morphine will be started if an infant requires 3 doses of morphine within a 6-hour period and titrated as needed per N-PASS scores.
Receives: Drug: Acetaminophen
Intravenous PlaceboPlacebo comparatorInfants randomized to the control arm will receive normal saline placebo IV at the appropriate volume and times for the gestational age. IV acetaminophen is concentrated at 10 mg/ml; corresponding saline volumes will be 1 ml to 5 ml, approximately, based on subject weight. Control infants will also have N-PASS scores assessed using the same protocol following the surgical procedure for 72 hours. Dosing of IV morphine will be the same as the dosing for the intervention arm.
Receives: Drug: Saline

What is being measured

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

  1. Total morphine exposure

    Total amount of morphine received by infants for pain control post-operatively in mg/kg

    Measured: 72 hours following surgical procedure

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Total "as needed" morphine exposure

    Total "as needed" or prn doses of morphine received by infants for pain control post-operatively in mg/kg

    Measured: 72 hours following surgical procedure

Timeline

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

  1. First posted19 Sep 2018
  2. Study start19 Apr 2019
  3. Primary completion7 Mar 2024
  4. Study completion7 Mar 2024

Why it stopped: Involved investigators no longer at the investigating center

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
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
11 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03677830
Sponsor's protocol ID
29544
Acronym
POPCORN
Status last verified
Mar 2024
First submitted
6 Sep 2018
Last updated
13 Mar 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Acetaminophen and Saline in people with Pain, Postoperative and Premature Infant, run by St. Louis University 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Mar 2024. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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 was stopped early (reason given: Involved investigators no longer at the investigating center). Results are not available in the source record.

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?

Total morphine exposure (time frame: 72 hours following surgical procedure). 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 13 Mar 2024.

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