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Pain, PostoperativeEarly Phase 1NCT06387303

Pain Control and Quality of Recovery After Intravenous Methadone Versus Intrathecal Morphine in Major Abdominal Surgery

A Early Phase 1 study testing Methadone and Morphine in people with Pain, Postoperative, run by University of Virginia at 1 site in United States.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Moderate to severe postoperative pain is relatively common after major abdominal surgery. It is associated with less than optimal surgical experience, poor quality of recovery, and the development of persistent postsurgical pain. Opioids remain a significant component of postoperative pain management. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Pain, Postoperative
What is being tested?
Methadone and Morphine
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
6 Aug 2024to 11 May 2026
Phase
Early Phase 1
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 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physiological status I-III
  • Undergoing laparotomy with midline incision
  • Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 45
  • Ability to understand and read English
  • Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits and study procedures

Who cannot join

  • Not able or unwilling to sign consent
  • Patients undergoing ambulatory surgery or anticipated to be discharged sooner than 24 hours after surgery
  • Patients with chronic pain, requiring daily opioid use at the time of surgery, MME >60 as the FDA defines opioid tolerant as 60 MME, long-acting forms of opioids such as fentanyl patch, oxycontin.
  • Pregnant Women
  • Patients requiring emergent surgery
  • Contraindications to neuraxial anesthesia including:
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Coagulopathy
  • localized infection at the site of injection
  • pre-existing spinal pathology, specifically defined as active radiculopathy, severe central canal stenosis in the lumbar region, or an acute fracture in the lumbar region
  • length of the QT interval (QTc) >450 on the most recent preoperative electrocardiogram (EKG)
  • Prior spinal fusion
  • Active or Prior Substance Use Disorder, undergoing active treatment with Medication of Opioid Use Disorder including methadone (once daily dosing), Buprenorphine (any formulation) and Naltrexone

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Keita Ikeda, PH.D. contact

9195931174

ki2d@uvahealth.org

Priyanka Singla, M.D. contact

(434) 982-4310

ps7ey@uvahealth.org

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of Virginia

    Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908-0710

    Keita Ikeda, PhD, 9195931174, ki2d@uvahealth.org

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Moderate to severe postoperative pain is relatively common after major abdominal surgery. It is associated with less than optimal surgical experience, poor quality of recovery, and the development of persistent postsurgical pain. Opioids remain a significant component of postoperative pain management. Side effects of opioids used for the treatment of postoperative pain include constipation, pruritus, nausea, and vomiting. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols involve the utilization of multimodal analgesia. Analgesic techniques used include epidural analgesia, nerve blocks, and Intrathecal (IT) administration of morph ne. IT morphine reduces the postoperative opioid requirement for 18-24 hours after major abdominal surgery and reduces hospital length of stay (LOS) compared with epidural analgesia. A significant number of patients who receive IT morphine still experience moderate to severe postoperative p in. Additionally, many patients refuse the invasive procedure or cannot receive IT morphine due to procedure contraindications, thrombocytopenia, and/or coagulopathy.

Intravenous (IV) methadone has a long analgesic half-life and has N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) properties. It has previously been shown to reduce postoperative opioid requirements, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative pain scores in patients who underwent orthopedic, abdominal, complex spine, and cardiac surg ry. Similar findings have been shown in obstetric patients who underwent cesarean delivery under general anesthesia as well as patients who underwent gynecologic surgery. IV methadone has, however, never been compared with IT morphine as a postoperative analgesic.

The hypothesis is that intravenous (IV) methadone is non-inferior to IT morphine in patients who undergo major abdominal surg ry. It offers the advantage of being a noninvasive analgesic modality that may contribute to decreasing opioid consumption during the first 72 hours postoperatively, controlling postoperative pain, and improving the quality of recovery after surgery.

Read the detailed description

Moderate to severe postoperative pain is relatively common after major abdominal surgery. It is associated with less than optimal surgical experience, poor quality of recovery, and the development of persistent postsurgical pain. Opioids remain a significant component of postoperative pain management. Side effects of opioids used for the treatment of postoperative pain include constipation, pruritus, nausea, and vomiting. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols involve the utilization of multimodal analgesia. Analgesic techniques used include epidural analgesia, nerve blocks, and Intrathecal (IT) administration of morph ne. IT morphine reduces the postoperative opioid requirement for 18-24 hours after major abdominal surgery and reduces hospital length of stay (LOS) compared with epidural analgesia. A significant number of patients who receive IT morphine still experience moderate to severe postoperative p in. Additionally, many patients refuse the invasive procedure or cannot receive IT morphine due to procedure contraindications, thrombocytopenia, and/or coagulopathy.

Intravenous (IV) methadone has a long analgesic half-life and has N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) properties. It has previously been shown to reduce postoperative opioid requirements, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative pain scores in patients who underwent orthopedic, abdominal, complex spine, and cardiac surg ry. Similar findings have been shown in obstetric patients who underwent cesarean delivery under general anesthesia as well as patients who underwent gynecologic surgery. IV methadone has, however, never been compared with IT morphine as a postoperative analgesic.

The hypothesis is that intravenous (IV) methadone is non-inferior to IT morphine in patients who undergo major abdominal surg ry. It offers the advantage of being a noninvasive analgesic modality that may contribute to decreasing opioid consumption during the first 72 hours postoperatively, controlling postoperative pain, and improving the quality of recovery after surgery.

Being tested
Methadone, Morphine
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative

What participants receive

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

  • MethadoneDrug

    Also called Intrathecal Methadone

    Intravenous Methadone

  • MorphineDrug

    Also called Intravenous Morphine

    Intrathecal Morphine

Study groups in NCT06387303
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intrathecal MorphineActive comparator250 mcg Intrathecal Injection prior to incision
Receives: Drug: Morphine
Intravenous MethadoneExperimental0.2 mg / kg Intravenous delivery prior to incision. Maximum dosage will be 20 mg.
Receives: Drug: Methadone

What is being measured

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

  1. Quality of Recovery 15 score

    The Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scale is a patient-reported outcome measurement of the quality of recovery after surgery and anesthesia. The scale ranges from 0 to 150, with a higher score indicating a better quality of recovery. A score of 0 indicates extremely poor quality of recovery, while a score of 150 indicates excellent quality of recovery. The QoR-15 score can be classified into four severity classes: excellent, good, moderate, and poor recovery.

    Measured: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 42 days, 92 days

  2. Overall Benefits of Analgesic Score

    The overall benefit of analgesic score (OBAS) is a daily survey that assesses a patient's satisfaction with analgesia, pain intensity, and adverse effects.

    To compute score, add all scores in items 1-7. Range: [0 - 28]. A low score indicates high benefit

    1. Rate your current pain at rest on a scale between 0=minimal pain and 4=maximum imaginable pain
    2. Grade any distress and bother from vomiting in the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4=very much)
    3. Grade any distress and bother from itching in the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4=very much)
    4. Grade any distress and bother from sweating in the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4=very much)
    5. Grade any distress and bother from freezing in the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4=very much)
    6. Grade any distress and bother from dizziness in the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4=very much)
    7. How satisfied are you with your pain treatment during the past 24 hours (0=not at all to 4= very much)

    Measured: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 42 days, 92 days

  3. morphine milligram equivalent

    morphine milligram equivalent is a measurement of a given analgesic effect standardized to a milligram of morphine. In other words agent X has the same effect as Y milligrams of morphine.

    Measured: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours

  4. Numeric Rating Scale pain scores (NRS)

    The numeric rating scale (NRS) is a pain screening tool commonly used to assess pain severity at a given moment in time. It uses a 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable."

    Measured: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. McGill Pain questionnaire score

    The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), also known as the McGill Pain Index, is a self-report questionnaire that helps patients describe the quality and intensity of their pain that assesses three components of pain experience: Sensory intensity, Emotional impact, and Cognitive evaluation of pain.

    The MPQ consists of 20 categories of verbal descriptors, 78 pain-related descriptors, and six words for current pain intensity. The descriptors fall into four major groups:

    Sensory: 1 to 10 Affective: 11 to 15 Evaluative: 16 Miscellaneous: 17 to 20 Each descriptor has a rank value based on its position in the word set. The sum of the rank values is the pain rating index (PRI). The maximum pain score is 78, and the higher the score, the greater the pain.

    The MPQ is valid, reliable, and sensitive for measuring cancer pain.

    Measured: 42 days, 92 days

  2. Numeric Rating Pain Score (NRS)

    The numeric rating scale (NRS) is a pain screening tool commonly used to assess pain severity at a given moment. It uses a 0-10 scale, with zero meaning "no pain" and 10 meaning "the worst pain imaginable."

    Measured: 42 days, 92 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted29 Apr 2024
  2. Study start6 Aug 2024
  3. Primary completion11 May 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion11 May 2026 (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
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
a single blind study
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
40 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06387303
Sponsor's protocol ID
HSR230492
Status last verified
Aug 2024
First submitted
23 Apr 2024
Last updated
11 Aug 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Brandsborg B, Nikolajsen L, Hansen CT, Kehlet H, Jensen TS. Risk factors for chronic pain after hysterectomy: a nationwide questionnaire and database study. Anesthesiology. 2007 May;106(5):1003-12. doi: 10.1097/01.anes.0000265161.39932.e8.

    PubMed 17457133
  • Bauchat JR, Habib AS. Evidence-based anesthesia for major gynecologic surgery. Anesthesiol Clin. 2015 Mar;33(1):173-207. doi: 10.1016/j.anclin.2014.11.011. Epub 2014 Dec 31.

    PubMed 25701935
  • Hein A, Rosblad P, Gillis-Haegerstrand C, Schedvins K, Jakobsson J, Dahlgren G. Low dose intrathecal morphine effects on post-hysterectomy pain: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2012 Jan;56(1):102-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2011.02574.x.

    PubMed 22150410
  • Modesitt SC, Sarosiek BM, Trowbridge ER, Redick DL, Shah PM, Thiele RH, Tiouririne M, Hedrick TL. Enhanced Recovery Implementation in Major Gynecologic Surgeries: Effect of Care Standardization. Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Sep;128(3):457-66. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001555.

    PubMed 27500337
  • Horlocker TT, Vandermeuelen E, Kopp SL, Gogarten W, Leffert LR, Benzon HT. Regional Anesthesia in the Patient Receiving Antithrombotic or Thrombolytic Therapy: American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Evidence-Based Guidelines (Fourth Edition). Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2018 Apr;43(3):263-309. doi: 10.1097/AAP.0000000000000763. No abstract available.

    PubMed 29561531
  • Kharasch ED. Intraoperative methadone: rediscovery, reappraisal, and reinvigoration? Anesth Analg. 2011 Jan;112(1):13-6. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181fec9a3. No abstract available.

    PubMed 21173206
  • Mancini I, Lossignol DA, Body JJ. Opioid switch to oral methadone in cancer pain. Curr Opin Oncol. 2000 Jul;12(4):308-13. doi: 10.1097/00001622-200007000-00006.

    PubMed 10888415
  • Slotkin TA, Seidler FJ, Whitmore WL. Methadone inhibits serotonin and norephinephrine uptake into rat brain synaptosomes and synaptic vesicles in vitro but not in vivo. Eur J Pharmacol. 1978 Jun 15;49(4):357-62. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(78)90309-6.

    PubMed 668807
  • Gourlay GK, Wilson PR, Glynn CJ. Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of methadone during the perioperative period. Anesthesiology. 1982 Dec;57(6):458-67. doi: 10.1097/00000542-198212000-00005. No abstract available.

    PubMed 6128949
  • Machado FC, Palmeira CCA, Torres JNL, Vieira JE, Ashmawi HA. Intraoperative use of methadone improves control of postoperative pain in morbidly obese patients: a randomized controlled study. J Pain Res. 2018 Oct 2;11:2123-2129. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S172235. eCollection 2018.

    PubMed 30323647
  • Gottschalk A, Durieux ME, Nemergut EC. Intraoperative methadone improves postoperative pain control in patients undergoing complex spine surgery. Anesth Analg. 2011 Jan;112(1):218-23. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181d8a095. Epub 2010 Apr 24.

    PubMed 20418538
  • Murphy GS, Szokol JW, Avram MJ, Greenberg SB, Marymont JH, Shear T, Parikh KN, Patel SS, Gupta DK. Intraoperative Methadone for the Prevention of Postoperative Pain: A Randomized, Double-blinded Clinical Trial in Cardiac Surgical Patients. Anesthesiology. 2015 May;122(5):1112-22. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000000633.

    PubMed 25837528
  • Russell T, Mitchell C, Paech MJ, Pavy T. Efficacy and safety of intraoperative intravenous methadone during general anaesthesia for caesarean delivery: a retrospective case-control study. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2013 Jan;22(1):47-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2012.10.007. Epub 2012 Dec 7.

    PubMed 23219678
  • Richlin DM, Reuben SS. Postoperative pain control with methadone following lower abdominal surgery. J Clin Anesth. 1991 Mar-Apr;3(2):112-6. doi: 10.1016/0952-8180(91)90007-a.

    PubMed 2039637
  • Bergstrom JE, Scott ME, Alimi Y, Yen TT, Hobson D, Machado KK, Tanner EJ 3rd, Fader AN, Temkin SM, Wethington S, Levinson K, Sokolinsky S, Lau B, Stone RL. Narcotics reduction, quality and safety in gynecologic oncology surgery in the first year of enhanced recovery after surgery protocol implementation. Gynecol Oncol. 2018 Jun;149(3):554-559. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 13.

    PubMed 29661495

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Early Phase 1 study testing Methadone and Morphine in people with Pain, Postoperative, run by University of Virginia 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 5 inclusion and 12 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Aug 2025. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Early Phase 1 (sometimes called Phase 0) studies give a very small amount of a treatment to a few people, mainly to see how the body handles it.

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

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

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

Contact Keita Ikeda, PH.D. (9195931174, ki2d@uvahealth.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Quality of Recovery 15 score (time frame: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 42 days, 92 days). 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?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06387303, which also lists 16 linked publications.

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 11 Aug 2025.

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