Analgesic Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine as a Continuous Infusion vs PCA in the Management of Acute Postoperative Pain in Major Orthopedic Surgery.

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phasePhase 4
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversidad de Antioquia

About this trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether treating pain after surgery with ketamine is more effective when administered intravenously as a continuous infusion or through a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. This study focuses on adult volunteers following major orthopedic surgery. We have two main questions to address:

* Is a continuous intravenous infusion of ketamine as effective as ketamine administered through a PCA pump for managing pain after major orthopedic surgery. * Does a continuous intravenous infusion of ketamine result in lower opioid requirements compared to ketamine delivered through a PCA pump for pain management after major orthopedic surgery?

Participants will be divided into two groups. One group will receive ketamine via continuous infusion, while the other will receive it through a PCA pump. Both groups will also receive a placebo (a substance that looks like the drug but contains no active ingredients), ensuring that neither group knows whether they are receiving ketamine through the PCA pump (which always contains a painkiller) or as a continuous infusion.

Participants will be assigned to one of the two groups and will receive their assigned treatment for 48 hours while hospitalized. Researchers will visit participants during their first three days in the hospital to assess their pain levels and monitor for any side effects.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Patients over 18 years of age

Elective major orthopedic surgery.

ASA (American Association of Anesthesiology) classification 1, 2 or 3.

Disqualifiers

Patients with a diagnosis of perioperative kidney injury or hepatic failure

Patients with active cardiac conditions

Patients with any cognitive impairment that disables the patient from operating the PCA pump or impedes the postoperative interview

Patients with scheduled ICU admission with invasive ventilatory support

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Ketamine infusion

    Drug

    A 10% ketamine solution will be prepared in a 250 cc bag of 0.9% saline (1 mg/cc) using 5 cc from a vial of ketamine that has a concentration of 50 mg/cc. The infusion will be initiated at the time of surgical site closure and will proceed as follows: a bolus of 0.35 cc/kg (equivalent to 0.35 mg/kg) will be administered, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.1 cc/kg/h (equivalent to 0.1 mg/kg/h) for up to 48 hours postoperatively. Patients in this group will have access to a PCA pump with morphine for analgesic rescue and to monitor daily opioid consumption.

  • PCA Ketamine

    Drug

    A mixture of 5% ketamine and 5% morphine will be prepared in a 100 cc bag of 0.9% saline. This will be achieved by using 1 cc of a ketamine vial (50 mg/cc) and 5 cc of a morphine ampule (10 mg/cc). This results in a final concentration of 0.5 mg of ketamine and 0.5 mg of morphine per cc in the 100 cc saline bag. The pump settings will be configured as follows: * PCA (Patient-Controlled Analgesia) dose: 2 cc (which delivers 1 mg of ketamine and 1 mg of morphine) * Lockout interval: 6 minutes * Maximum dose limit: 15 doses over a 4-hour period The pump will be available for patient use for up to 48 hours postoperatively.

Treatment groups

120 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Ketamine infusionActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: PCA KetamineActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Postoperative pain

Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for dynamic (during movement) pain. The VAS for pain is a unidimensional measure of pain intensity in adults.The pain VAS is a continuous visual scale from 0 to 100 mm, with 0 mm representing "no pain" and 100 mm representing maximum pain (e.g. "worst pain imaginable").

Time frame
24 hours after surgery
2

Postoperative opioid use

Daily opioid use expressed in morphine equivalents (morphine equivalent daily dose MEDD)

Time frame
24 hours after surgery

Secondary outcomes

1

Dynamic and rest postoperative pain

Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for dynamic and rest postoperative pain . The VAS for pain is a unidimensional measure of pain intensity in adults.The pain VAS is a continuous visual scale from 0 to 100 mm, with 0 mm representing "no pain" and 100 mm representing maximum pain (e.g. "worst pain imaginable")

Time frame
12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery
2

Postoperative opioid use

Daily opioid use expressed in morphine equivalents (morphine equivalent daily dose MEDD)

Time frame
48 and 72 hours after surgery
3

Time to ambulation

Time measured in days for the patient to begin ambulation after surgery.

Time frame
72 hours after surgery
4

Hospital stay

Days of hospital stay

Time frame
From date of randomization until the date day of discharge or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 36 months

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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

Universidad de Antioquia

Lead sponsor

Hospital San Vicente Fundación

Collaborator