Lumbar Fusion Surgery

Dr. Parker Merrill (anesthesiologist) and Dr. Chris Neal (neurosurgeon) are working on a research study comparing two methods of pain control for patients having spinal fusion surgery. We are looking for English-speaking patients between 18 and 70 years old who are scheduled for 1-2 level lumbar spine fusion surgery. Participants in this study will either get morphine injected during surgery (current pain treatment) or morphine and another drug, clonidine. There is an equal chance of getting the two treatment options. No matter which group you are assigned to, you will be provided with additional pain medication if needed after your surgery. You may not directly benefit from participating in this study, but you might have an improvement in your pain after surgery. You will also be helping researchers and doctors find better pain control options for future patients.

Elective lumbar fusion surgery is associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain and often requires substantial perioperative opioid administration. Excessive opioid use may lead to adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, sedation, respiratory depression, and delayed mobilization. Intravenous lidocaine infusion has been proposed as part of multimodal analgesia because of its analgesic, antihyperalgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effect of intraoperative intravenous lidocaine infusion on postoperative opioid consumption and early recovery outcomes in patients undergoing elective lumbar fusion surgery. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous lidocaine infusion or placebo during surgery. The primary outcome is cumulative postoperative opioid consumption within the first 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include intraoperative opioid consumption, postoperative pain scores, time to first rescue analgesic, quality of recovery, postoperative nausea and vomiting, time to mobilization, and length of hospital stay. In addition, inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and markers of thiol-disulfide homeostasis will be measured preoperatively and postoperatively.

The goal of this research is to learn if injecting the antibiotic vancomycin directly into the bone marrow (intraosseous) or IO) during a lumbar (spinal) fusion surgery, is as effective or better than the standard method of giving it vancomycin through a vein (intravenous) or IV) during lumbar fusion surgery.

Hemorrhage on the surface of cancellous bone presents a significant challenge in orthopedic surgery. Traditional bone wax, commonly utilized for hemostasis in bone wounds, is non-absorbable and associated with various complications, including pseudarthrosis, paralysis, venous sinus thrombosis, chronic inflammation, allergic reactions, and infections, thereby limiting its clinical utility. In contrast, absorbable bone wax, primarily composed of medical-grade water-soluble polymer materials, exhibits excellent biocompatibility. It is fully absorbed, excreted, or eliminated by the body without leaving toxic residues. This study employs a rigorous efficacy design to select an appropriate patient cohort for lumbar fusion surgery, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants are randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving absorbable bone wax or a control group receiving traditional bone wax, facilitating a randomized, open-label, parallel-controlled clinical trial. This study aims to evaluate the comparative effects of absorbable bone wax versus traditional bone wax on the rate of bone fusion following hemostasis of bone wounds. The objective is to furnish robust evidence-based insights into the application of absorbable bone wax for bone wounds necessitating fusion, thereby establishing a safe, effective, and broadly applicable technique for bone wound hemostasis in clinical practice.