Prospective Feasibility, Analgesic Effectiveness, and Safety Study of a Visual Analog Scale-Guided Multimodal Pain Algorithm After Posterior Rib Remodeling With Osteosynthesis

September 1, 2026 updated by: Research Inc
This prospective single-group study will evaluate a visual analog scale-guided multimodal analgesia algorithm during the first five days after posterior rib remodeling with osteosynthesis. Pain will be assessed at 6, 12, and 24 hours and every 12 hours thereafter through 120 hours. Treatment will be escalated or reduced according to prespecified pain tiers and safety rules. The primary outcome is the proportion of scheduled assessments with pain scores of 3 or lower. Protocol adherence, rescue treatment, medication exposure, and adverse events will also be measured.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

After RIBOSS surgery, participants will enter a structured analgesia pathway based on repeated 0-to-10 pain scores. Mild pain will receive a nonopioid base regimen; moderate pain will prompt addition of an NMDA-directed and elastomeric multimodal strategy with optional regional block; severe pain will prompt full multimodal infusion and regional rescue when safe. Assessments will occur at 6, 12, and 24 hours and every 12 hours through day 5. Each assessment will document pain at rest and movement, active treatment tier, rescue interventions, sedation, respiratory status, nausea/vomiting, and other adverse events. The study will determine whether the algorithm consistently achieves adequate analgesia and can be implemented safely and reproducibly.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
160

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 Locations

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults undergoing posterior aesthetic rib remodeling with osteosynthesis who receive the standardized postoperative analgesia algorithm.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 to 55 years.
  • Scheduled for posterior aesthetic rib remodeling with osteosynthesis using the standardized RIBOSS technique.
  • Ability to understand and use a 0-to-10 visual analog or numeric pain scale.
  • Availability for scheduled pain assessments through postoperative hour 120.
  • Written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic opioid use or opioid use disorder requiring an individualized perioperative plan.
  • Contraindication to the base nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or acetaminophen regimen and inability to use the predefined alternative pathway.
  • Contraindication to ketamine, lidocaine, dexmedetomidine, or the planned regional block when those components may be required.
  • Severe hepatic, renal, cardiac, neurologic, or psychiatric condition judged to make the algorithm unsafe.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Inability to provide reliable pain scores or complete five-day monitoring.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
VAS-Guided RIBOSS Analgesia Algorithm
All participants receive algorithm-guided treatment. The active treatment tier changes according to scheduled VAS assessment and prespecified safety rules.
Procedure: VAS-Guided Multimodal Analgesia Algorithm
Proposed operational tiers: VAS 0-3, NSAID plus acetaminophen, optional magnesium or pregabalin, without PCA or mandatory block; VAS 4-5, base analgesia plus low-dose ketamine/NMDA strategy and elastomeric multimodal infusion, with optional regional block; VAS 6-10, base analgesia plus multimodal elastomeric infusion and mandatory rescue regional technique when not contraindicated. Reassessment occurs every 6 to 12 hours; treatment is reduced when VAS remains below 3 and escalated when VAS remains above 5. Exact drugs, doses, contraindications, and monitoring are specified in the final anesthesia appendix. Linked arm/group(s): VAS-Guided RIBOSS Analgesia Algorithm.
Procedure: Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Wall Regional Block
A paravertebral, erector spinae plane, serratus plane, epidural, or other approved block may be used according to the locked algorithm, anatomy, and anesthesia judgment. Technique, local anesthetic dose, and safety monitoring will be standardized. Linked arm/group(s): VAS-Guided RIBOSS Analgesia Algorithm.

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
Proportion of Scheduled Pain Assessments With VAS 3 or Lower
Time Frame: At 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, and 120 hours after surgery. 1 day
Number of protocol-scheduled assessments with pain intensity 0 to 3 on a 0-to-10 visual analog or numeric rating scale divided by the total number of completed scheduled assessments, reported overall and by postoperative time point.
At 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, and 120 hours after surgery. 1 day

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
Five-Day Pain Burden
Time Frame: From 6 hours through 120 hours after surgery, using scheduled assessments at 6, 12, 24, and every 12 hours thereafter. 5 days
Area under the curve of pain intensity over time using scheduled 0-to-10 scores; lower values indicate less cumulative pain.
From 6 hours through 120 hours after surgery, using scheduled assessments at 6, 12, 24, and every 12 hours thereafter. 5 days
Use of Rescue Analgesia or Regional Block
Time Frame: From surgery through postoperative hour 120. 5 days
Proportion of participants receiving unscheduled rescue analgesia, new or repeat regional block, PCA dose increase, or another escalation outside the initial assigned tier.
From surgery through postoperative hour 120. 5 days
Cumulative Rescue Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: From surgery through postoperative hour 120. 5 days
Total rescue opioid dose converted to intravenous morphine milligram equivalents. Protocol drugs that are not opioids will be summarized separately.
From surgery through postoperative hour 120. 5 days
Incidence of Analgesia-Related Adverse Events
Time Frame: From initiation of postoperative analgesia through postoperative hour 120. 5 days
Proportion of participants with treated nausea/vomiting, excessive sedation, respiratory depression, hallucinations, dizziness, hemodynamic instability, local-anesthetic toxicity, neurologic deficit, block-site complication, or another event adjudicated as analgesia related.
From initiation of postoperative analgesia through postoperative hour 120. 5 days

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.
Research Inc

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: Hugo Aguilar, MD, plastic surgery

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
January 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.
December 12, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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).
September 1, 2026

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.
September 1, 2026

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.
September 8, 2026

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.
September 8, 2026

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 1, 2026

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, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 013 (Nahrain Medical Research Collective (NMRC))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Not comtempled in the patient informed consent

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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