Chronic Postsurgical Pain

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age5-17
SponsorChantel Burkitt

About this trial

The study purpose is to document the typical trajectory of perioperative pain experience in Cerebral Palsy (CP) and to identify important predictive factors for the development of chronic postsurgical pain. The main aims of the investigators are to:

1. Quantify the trajectory of pain and opioid use in the context of orthopedic surgery in children with CP. 2. Identify predictors for CPSP in children with CP and develop an applicable risk index. 3. Examine relationships between perioperative pain severity and functional/mobility outcomes achieved by orthopedic surgery in children with CP.

Participants will complete:

1. Questionnaires/Surveys via email and text message 2. In-person Sensory Tests 3. In-person Gait and Motion Analysis

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

CP diagnosis

Have a scheduled lower extremity or spine orthopedic surgery

Disqualifiers

Non-English speaking and reading parent/guardian

Trial population

Individuals with Cerebral Palsy undergoing an orthopedic surgery at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare or Nemour's Children Hospital, Delaware

Trial design

Design model

Cohort

Time perspective

Prospective

Treatments tested in this trial

Not listed

Trial groups

No trial groups listed

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Change in Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) score from 1 week preoperative to 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative

The BPI assesses pain location, pain intensity at worst, least, average, and right now as well as the degree to which pain interferes with activities of daily living (e.g., sleep, relationships, and mobility). Items are scored on an 11-point scale (0 = does not interfere, 10 = completely interferes) creating a total interference score ranging from 0-120 (higher scores mean more pain interference). The BPI has been adapted for and tested with individuals with severe CP, resulting in excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) and validity evidence \[1, 29, 30\]. The BPI will take parents/children 1-2 minutes to complete.

Time frame
1 month preoperative, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative

Secondary outcomes

1

Dalhousie Pain Interview (DPI)

The DPI uses a 10-item survey to quantify pain intensity (Primary outcome variable; scored 0-10 with higher scores indicating more pain), duration (minutes/seconds in pain), and pain frequency (number of pain episodes) for each type of pain reported in the last week. The type and dose of pain-related medications is also collected. The DPI was developed to assess acute and chronic pain in children with developmental disabilities. The investigative team has considerable experience with the DPI and pain parameters have shown sensitivity to change after treatment \[30, 31\]. The DPI will take parents/children 5-15 minutes to complete.

Time frame
1 month preoperative, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative
2

Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)

The NRS of pain is considered the 'gold standard' and has been widely used to quantify pain intensity (0-10 scale; 0=no pain, 10=worst possible pain). We will use the NRS specific to head, shoulders, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist/hand, back, hip, upper leg, knee, lower leg, ankle, and foot pain. The NRS will complement the DPI since it is joint-specific, which is a critical element to capture when assessing orthopedic outcomes. The NRS will take parents/children 3 minutes to complete.

Time frame
From Post-Operative Day (POD) 3-90
3

SNAKE (Schlaffragebogen für Kinder mit Neurologischen und Anderen Komplexen Erkrankungen)Sleep Questionnaire

We will also collect the SNAKE Sleep Questionnaire via parent-report, a 43-item tool that measures the sleep environment, sleep patterns, and sleep behaviors (scores ranging from 23-92 with higher scores indicating more sleep difficulties). This tool was designed specifically for individuals with severe disabilities, and individuals with CP were included in the validation sample. The SNAKE will take parents 2-5 minutes to complete.

Time frame
1 month preoperative, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative
4

Gait Outcomes Assessment List (GOAL)

The GOAL had initial data published on it in 2011 \[33\]. It was developed for individuals with ambulatory CP and their parents as a comprehensive assessment of gait-related function. It is an outcome tool that incorporates all domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, including the influence of environment and personal factors \[34\].It contains 7 different domains and scores for each domain and for the total survey are standardized and range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). A novel component of the GOAL is that it also incorporates the family's priorities for treatment.

Time frame
Any time preoperative and 12 months postoperative

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Chantel Burkitt

Lead sponsor

Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare

Sponsor institution

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborator

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

University of Minnesota

Collaborator

Nemours Children's Hospital

Collaborator