Personalizing Preprocedural Sedation for Regional Anesthesia

Personalizing Preprocedural Sedation for Regional Anesthesia: a Randomized Trial and Qualitative Assessment of Patient-Centered Outcomes and Experience

This is a prospective, randomized study in patients who receive a nerve block prior to surgery. The aim is to investigate whether individual differences in psychosocial and pain profiles may play a role in how patients experience sedation for regional anesthesia. The study will utilize a mixed-methods approach, including a randomized controlled intervention and semi-structured interviews, in order to systematically investigate the relationship between an individual patient's level of catastrophizing and efficacy of procedural sedation, while exploring patient satisfaction with the preoperative nerve block experience.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Catastrophizing Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Midazolam and Fentanyl; Behavioral: Educational Reassurance

Detailed Description

The primary quantitative outcome will be pain severity during nerve block placement. Secondary quantitative outcome is patient satisfaction. Validated psychometric assessment tools (pain catastrophizing scale) will be used to stratify patients according to baseline degree of pain catastrophizing (high versus low baseline pain catastrophizing). These groups will then be randomized to receive either titrated pharmacologic sedation (i.e., additional midazolam and fentanyl beyond a standard low midazolam dose) or intraprocedural educational reassurance. Semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis will be used to explore patient's experiences with nerve block placement and identify themes regarding what makes this experience more positive or negative for individuals with different characteristics.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 82
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Brigham and Women's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age≥18
• English speaking
• Willingness to undergo psychophysical testing
• Willingness to have nerve block performed
• Surgical or procedural patient
• Single shot nerve block

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cognitive dysfunction that precludes communication
• Declines or is not eligible clinically to receive sedation with midazolam and/or fentanyl at discretion of the non-study clinical team (Examples: frailty, cognitive dysfunction)
• Allergy or hypersensitivity to midazolam or fentanyl
• Declines nerve block
• Does not complete survey needed for randomization
• Current pregnancy and/or breastfeeding

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: High Pain Catastrophizing; Based on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)	Drug: Midazolam and Fentanyl; Prior to the start of the nerve block, patients in Arm 1 will receive titrated pharmacological sedation with IV midazolam with a goal of achieving moderate sedation. If pain is felt despite subcutaneous lidocaine, IV fentanyl may be administered with a goal of achieving moderate sedation with analgesia.; Other Names: Versed; Sublimaze; Behavioral: Educational Reassurance; Patients in the nonpharmacologic group will receive intraprocedural education and reassurance without pharmacologic sedation. They will have the option to receive more pharmacologic sedation at any point during the nerve block (cross-over to titrated sedation group).
Experimental: Low Pain Catastrophizing; Based on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)	Drug: Midazolam and Fentanyl; Prior to the start of the nerve block, patients in Arm 1 will receive titrated pharmacological sedation with IV midazolam with a goal of achieving moderate sedation. If pain is felt despite subcutaneous lidocaine, IV fentanyl may be administered with a goal of achieving moderate sedation with analgesia.; Other Names: Versed; Sublimaze; Behavioral: Educational Reassurance; Patients in the nonpharmacologic group will receive intraprocedural education and reassurance without pharmacologic sedation. They will have the option to receive more pharmacologic sedation at any point during the nerve block (cross-over to titrated sedation group).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain scale	Procedural pain rating during the nerve block procedure on a 0 (no pain) to 10 (severe pain) Likert scale. Higher scores represent a worse outcome.	Immediately following procedure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient satisfaction	Satisfaction with nerve block on a 1 (low satisfaction) to 10 (high satisfaction) Likert scale. Higher scores represent a better outcome.	Immediately following procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Yun-Yun K Chen, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 22, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 24, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): May 24, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 12, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 13, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 24, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Catastrophizing; Regional anesthesia; Nerve block; Preprocedural sedation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Anesthetics; Central Nervous System Depressants; Sensory System Agents; Analgesics; Analgesics, Opioid; Narcotics; Neurotransmitter Agents; Adjuvants, Anesthesia; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Anti-Anxiety Agents; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Anesthetics, Intravenous; Anesthetics, General; GABA Modulators; GABA Agents; Midazolam; Fentanyl
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022P001901

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