Effectiveness of Adding Morphine to Intraosseous Vancomycin for Pain Control in Total Knee Arthroplasty

September 8, 2025 updated by: Carilion Clinic

Effectiveness of Adding Morphine to Intraosseous Vancomycin for Pain Control in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Double-Blind, Randomized Trial

Study investigators propose to investigate if a bony injection of pain medication during a knee replacement will help pain levels following primary knee replacement surgery. To investigate this, 86 patients will be enrolled. Half of the patients will receive a bony injection of antibiotics with morphine (pain medication) while the other half will receive a bony injection of antibiotics with placebo (no pain medication). Following surgery, patient pain levels and pain medication consumption will be measured.

The injection is intraosseous meaning in the bone. The needle pierces the bone and the medication is injected into the bone. The site of injection is on the anterior (front) of the upper portion of the tibia. The medications are Vancomycin (antibiotic) and Morphine (pain medication) which are mixed in separate syringes and then injected. Intraosseous vancomycin is standard of care while intraosseous vancomycin with morphine is also standard of care, depending on operating surgeon.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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.
100

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 2

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Roanoke, Virginia, United States, 24014
        • Carilion Clinic

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. 18-100 years old
  2. Primary total knee arthroplasty
  3. Participants must be able to consent for themselves
  4. Capable and comfortable with text messaging

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Non-primary total knee arthroplasty
  2. Intraoperative or postoperative deviation from standard of care
  3. Post-traumatic surgical indication
  4. Post-infectious surgical indication
  5. Chronic narcotic use or history of narcotic addiction
  6. Allergy to vancomycin
  7. Allergy to morphine
  8. Inability to receive spinal anesthesia
  9. Inability to receive intraoperative adductor canal block
  10. Inability to provide informed consent for the study
  11. Inability to speak English fluently

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

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.
Placebo Comparator: Control (Intraosseous vancomycin with no morphine)
Control patients will receive 500 mg of vancomycin in 100 mL of normal saline + 10 mL of normal saline (placebo). Both with be injected intraosseously in the tibia.
Drug: Vancomycin
500 mg Vancomycin in 100 mL of normal saline
Other Names:
  • IO antibiotic
Experimental: Experimental (Intraosseous vancomycin with morphine)
Control patients will receive 500 mg of vancomycin in 100 mL of normal saline + 10 mg of morphine in 10 mL of normal saline. Both with be injected intraosseously in the tibia.
Drug: Vancomycin
500 mg Vancomycin in 100 mL of normal saline
Other Names:
  • IO antibiotic
Drug: Morphine
10 mg morphine in 10 mL normal saline
Other Names:
  • IO pain medication

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
Postoperative pain levels
Time Frame: 14 days postoperatively
Pain scores on a scale of 0-10 with 0 meaning no pain and 10 being the worst pain possible
14 days postoperatively
Postoperative pain medication consumption
Time Frame: 14 days postoperatively
How much pain medication patients consumed following surgery. Measured in morphine milliequivalents (MME).
14 days postoperatively

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
Number of patients with postoperative nausea and vomiting
Time Frame: 14 days postoperatively
Number of patients with postoperative nausea and vomiting episodes within 14 days of surgery
14 days postoperatively
Patient reported outcomes (KOOS)
Time Frame: 1 month preoperative to 6 weeks postoperative
Patient reported outcomes preoperative and postoperative. Preoperative measurement compared to 6 weeks postoperative. KOOS is measured 0-100 with 0 representing total knee disability and 100 representing a perfect knee.
1 month preoperative to 6 weeks postoperative
Patient reported outcomes (PROMIS)
Time Frame: 1 month preoperative to 6 weeks postoperative

Patient reported outcomes preoperative and postoperative. Preoperative measurement compared to 6 weeks postoperative.

Range is 20-80 with higher being better. The mean is 50 with the standard deviation being 10.
1 month preoperative to 6 weeks postoperative

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.
Carilion Clinic

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: Joseph T Moskal, MD, Carilion Clinic

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 (Actual)

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.
December 1, 2024

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.
May 15, 2025

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.
June 2, 2025

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).
November 17, 2024

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.
December 2, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

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.
December 4, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
September 10, 2025

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.
September 8, 2025

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.
September 1, 2025

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.
  • IRB-24-1831

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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