Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis to Treat Pain Following Thoracic Trauma

Part of paid clinical trials in La Jolla, California.

Sponsor
University of California, San Diego
Study ID
NCT06069154
Status
Enrolling By Invitation

Conditions

  • Rib Fracture
  • Rib Fracture Multiple

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Cryoneurolysis — DEVICE
    Active cryoneurolysis of the intercostal nerve of each fractured rib along with one cephalad and one caudad will be targeted: for each nerve the cryoneurolysis device will be triggered using 3 cycles of 2-minute nitrous oxide activation separated by 1-minute defrost periods (Epimed) or for the Varian: 5.5-minute \[all but 5 participants\] or 3-minute \[5th - 12th participants; changes based on new laboratory and subsequently clinical data\] argon activation (2000 psi starting at 100% power but decreased to keep return gas flow temperature warmer than -100C) followed by a 30-second helium defrost. For the active comparator, the gas will be deployed to the tip where a drop in temperature will result in cryoneurolysis.
  • Local anesthetic peripheral nerve block — PROCEDURE
    Due to the pragmatic design of this trial, study participation will not alter an institution's current practice. Examples of peripheral nerve blocks include paravertebral, erector spinae plane, and serratus anterior nerve blocks. The injectate through the introducer will depend on the treatment group: for participants of the control group, ropivacaine 0.5% or bupivacaine 0.375% (both with epinephrine 1:400,000) will be injected (volume determined by institutional standard-of-care). This will provide a peripheral nerve block for the control group.
  • Sham Cryoneurolysis — DEVICE
    Sham cryoneurolysis of the intercostal nerve of each fractured rib along with one cephalad and one caudad will be targeted: for each nerve the cryoneurolysis device will be triggered using 3 cycles of 2-minute nitrous oxide activation separated by 1-minute defrost periods (Epimed) or for the Varian: 1 cycle of 5.5 minutes \[all but 5 participants\] or 3 minutes \[5th - 12th participants; changes based on new laboratory and subsequently clinical data\] of argon and 30 seconds of helium. However, for the sham comparator, the gas will NOT be deployed to the tip, there will NOT be a drop in temperature, and NO cryoneurolysis will occur.
  • Sham peripheral nerve block — PROCEDURE
    Due to the pragmatic design of this trial, study participation will not alter an institution's current practice. Examples of peripheral nerve blocks include paravertebral, erector spinae plane, and serratus anterior nerve blocks: for participants allocated to the cryoneurolysis group (experimental group), normal saline will be injected for the peripheral nerve block. This will result in a sham/placebo nerve block for the experimental group.

Study Details

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.

Key Dates

Start date
Oct 30, 2023
Status verified
Oct 2025
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026
Completion
Dec 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Active Comparator: Cryoneurolysis
    Active cryoneurolysis of the intercostal nerve of each fractured rib along with one cephalad and one caudad will be targeted: for each nerve the cryoneurolysis device will be triggered using 3 cycles of 2-minute nitrous oxide activation separated by 1-minute defrost periods (Epimed) or for the Varian: 5.5-minute \[all but 5 participants\] or 3-minute \[5th - 12th participants; changes based on new laboratory and subsequently clinical data\] argon activation (2000 psi starting at 100% power but decreased to keep return gas flow temperature warmer than -100C) followed by a 30-second helium defrost. For the active comparator, the gas will be deployed to the tip where a drop in temperature will result in cryoneurolysis.
  • Sham Comparator: Sham Procedure
    Sham cryoneurolysis of the intercostal nerve of each fractured rib along with one cephalad and one caudad will be targeted: for each nerve the cryoneurolysis device will be triggered using 3 cycles of 2-minute nitrous oxide activation separated by 1-minute defrost periods (Epimed) or for the Varian: 1 cycle of 5.5 minutes \[all but 5 participants\] or 3 minutes \[5th - 12th participants; changes based on new laboratory and subsequently clinical data\] of argon and 30 seconds of helium. However, for the sham comparator, the gas will NOT be deployed to the tip, there there will NOT be a drop in temperature, and NO cryoneurolysis will occur.

Primary Outcome Measure

Opioid consumption during first 2 post-intervention months [ Time Frame: Post-intervention months 1 and 2, collected on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 45 and 60; at each collection time point, opioid use for the previous 24 hours will be recorded ]

Locations (5)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of California, San DiegoLa JollaCalifornia92037-
Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterBethesdaMaryland20814-
Brigham and Women's HospitalBostonMassachusetts02115-
Massachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusetts02114-
University of Texas, HoustonHoustonTexas77054-

Find similar trials in La Jolla, CA

By research site
University of California, San Diego· La Jolla, CAWalter Reed National Military Medical Center· Bethesda, MDBrigham and Women's Hospital· Boston, MAMassachusetts General Hospital· Boston, MAUniversity of Texas, Houston· Houston, TX

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