A Comparison Trial Between PCA and Epidural Analgesia for Pectus Excavatum Repair

June 1, 2020 updated by: Chris Glover, Baylor College of Medicine

A Comparison Trial Between Patient Controlled Intravenous Analgesia (PCA) and Epidural Analgesia for Pectus Excavatum Repair

The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of epidural and IV analgesia in controlling pain in patients undergoing Nuss repair of pectus excavatum. The primary end point will be the mean pain score during postoperative days 0-4.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Pectus excavatum is a cartilaginous deformity that is the most common congenital anterior chest wall defect in children [1]. Children with this disease process often complain of dyspnea, decreased exercise tolerance, and shortness of breath implying a restrictive pulmonary deficit [2]. Besides the reported physical limitations, patients can also exhibit manifestations of psychological disturbances (poor body image and depression). Surgical repair has been correlated with enhanced quality of life and improvement in body image[3] with recent studies showing improved pulmonary function and cardiac output [4, 5]. Surgery initially introduced by Sauerbruch involved rib cartilage resection and sternal osteotomy. This open procedure was further modified and became [6] known as the Ravitch procedure. This was the mainstay for repair for over 40 years until the introduction of minimally invasive surgery without rib resection by Nuss and colleagues in 1987 [7]. The Nuss repair involves placing an intrathoracic brace through small lateral chest wall incisions aided by thoracoscopy. Similar to bracing the teeth, the Nuss procedure avoids osteotomy or rib cartilage resection [8]. The Nuss procedure is the most common minimally invasive procedure in use today to correct this condition and is the current standard of surgical practice. Complications from Nuss repair can range anywhere from 7% to 25% [9] and can occur for as long as the bar is in place. Pain control remains a major issue in the perioperative period as patients may require weeks to months of oral narcotics before becoming pain-free after correction of the pectus. A prospective multicenter study reported peak pain scores of 8 on a 0-10 scale in the postoperative period and a mean score of 3 at discharge [4]. Postoperative pain after pectus repair has been managed with IV opioids administered by patient controlled analgesia (PCA) devices and by thoracic epidural infusions of combinations of local anesthetics and opioids. It is unclear from published data which method is superior and different tertiary care centers in the USA have a preference for different methods.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
62

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Texas Children't Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

8 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients age 8- 18 years 2) Patients undergoing minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair via Nuss procedure 3) American Society of Anesthesiology Status I-III

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 1) Refusal of epidural catheter 2) Pregnancy 3) Bleeding History 4) Inability to understand how to use the PCA device 5) Medication interfering with blood coagulation 6) Patients allergic to local anesthetics 7) Patient refusal to participate in study 8) Developmental delay

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Patient Controlled Analgesia
One group will have a patient controlled device connected to an intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV PCA). This device runs a basal infusion of pain medicine (morphine) intravenously with additional allowable patient controlled doses every 10 minutes.
Drug: Morphine
This device runs a basal infusion of pain medicine (morphine) intravenously with additional allowable patient controlled doses every 10 minutes
Active Comparator: epidural Catheter
The other group will have an epidural catheter inserted under sterile conditions in the thoracic epidural space after anesthesia has been induced. This will be connected to a patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) device for postoperative pain control that works in a similar manner except the medication (a combination of local anesthetics and hydromorphone) will be administered in the thoracic epidural space.
Drug: Hydromorphone
In keeping with standard practice at the TCH, the position of the thoracic epidural catheter tip will be confirmed by real time fluoroscopy and a single injection of 1 ml of omnipaque 180 mg/mL contrast. In keeping with current practice, a bolus of 0.2% ropivacaine 0.3 ml per kg (maximum dose 20 ml) will be administered in the epidural space to the patients in the TEA group at least 10 minutes prior to surgical incision.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Verbal Pain Scale Scores During Postoperative Days 0-4
Time Frame: Postoperative days 0-4
The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of epidural and IV analgesia in controlling pain in patients undergoing Nuss repair of pectus excavatum. The primary end point will be the mean pain scores during postoperative days (POD) 0-4. Pain was measured using the verbal pain scale. The scale ranges from 0-10. A score of 0 means the patient is in no pain.
Postoperative days 0-4

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total Morphine Equivalent Consumption During Postoperative Days 0-4
Time Frame: Postoperative days 0-4
This outcome measures total amount of morphine administered in mg/kg by post-operative day 0-4. This captures all standard of care opioids delivered via their assigned cohort route (Epidural vs. IV PCA). Opioids other than morphine that were administered for pain were multiplied by their equianalgesic conversion factor to calculate the IV Morphine equivalent.
Postoperative days 0-4
Rescue Morphine Equivalent Administration During Postoperative Days 0-4
Time Frame: Postoperative days 0-4
This outcome measures the amount of rescue morphine administered due to breakthrough pain in mg/kg by post-operative day 0-4. This captures additional opioids that were administered by a nurse through an IV. Opioids other than morphine that were administered for pain were multiplied by their equianalgesic conversion factor to calculate the IV Morphine equivalent.
Postoperative days 0-4

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Baylor College of Medicine

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Chris Glover, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 10, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 4, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 5, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 1, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H31096

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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