Cryoanalgesia to Treat Post-Amputation Phantom Limb Pain: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled, Definitive Human Subjects Clinical Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 144
- 试验地点
- 12
- 主要终点
- Change From Baseline in Average Daily Phantom Pain Intensity
研究概览
简要总结
When a limb is severed, pain perceived in the part of the body that no longer exists often develops and is called "phantom limb" pain. Unfortunately, phantom pain goes away in only 16% of afflicted individuals, and there is currently no reliable definitive treatment. The exact reason that phantom limb pain occurs is unclear, but when a nerve is cut-as happens with an amputation-changes occur in the brain and spinal cord that actually increase with worsening phantom pain. These abnormal changes may often be corrected by putting local anesthetic-called a "nerve block"-on the injured nerve, effectively keeping any "bad signals" from reaching the brain with a simultaneous resolution of the phantom limb pain. However, when the nerve block resolves after a few hours, the phantom pain returns. But, this demonstrates that the brain abnormalities-and phantom pain-that occur with an amputation are not necessarily fixed, and may be dependent upon the "bad" signals being sent from the injured nerve(s), suggesting that a very long peripheral nerve block-lasting many months rather than hours-may permanently reverse the abnormal changes in the brain, and provide definitive relief from phantom pain. A prolonged nerve block lasting a few months may be provided by freezing the nerve using a process called "cryoneurolysis". The ultimate objective of the proposed research study is to determine if cryoanalgesia is an effective treatment for intractable post-amputation phantom limb pain. The proposed research study will include subjects with an existing lower extremity amputation who experience intractable daily phantom limb pain. A single ultrasound-guided treatment of cryoneurolysis (or sham block-determined randomly like a flip of a coin) will be applied to the target nerve(s) involved with the phantom pain. Although not required, each subject may return four months later for the alternative treatment (if the first treatment is sham, then the second treatment would be cryoneurolysis) so that all participants have the option of receiving the active treatment. Subjects will be followed for a total of 12 months with data collected by telephone.
详细描述
Subjects will be asked to make no changes to their analgesic regimen for at least 1 month prior to the cryoneurolysis procedure and continuing for 4 months until the measurement of the primary end point-for the duration of the study, all patients will be allowed to continue their pre-intervention analgesics. All subjects will have a peripheral intravenous catheter inserted, standard noninvasive monitors applied, and oxygen administered via a facemask or nasal cannula. Midazolam and fentanyl (IV) will be titrated for patient comfort. The specific nerves targeted will be the sciatic and femoral (or their distal branches). The potential cryoneurolysis sites will be cleansed with chlorhexidine gluconate and isopropyl alcohol. The target nerves will be identified in a transverse cross-sectional (short axis) view using ultrasound. A Tuohy-tip needle will be inserted beneath the ultrasound transducer and directed until the needle tip is immediately adjacent to the target nerve. Local anesthetic (1-3 mL, lidocaine 2%) will be injected. This will be repeated for the femoral nerve. Within 20 minutes of the second injection, the subject's limb pain level will be evaluated on the 0-10 NRS and if higher than at baseline prior to injection, the subject will NOT continue with treatment and their participation in the study will terminate upon discharge.
Treatment group assignment (randomization). Remaining subjects will be allocated to one of two possible treatments:
- cryoneurolysis
- sham cryoneurolysis (placebo control)
Randomization will be computer-generated and stratified by enrolling institution in randomly chosen block sizes. Cryoneurolysis probes are available that either (1) pass nitrous oxide to the tip inducing freezing temperatures; or, (2) vent the nitrous oxide at the base of the probe so that no gas reaches the probe tip, resulting in no temperature change (PainBlocker, Epimed, Farmers Branch, Texas). Importantly, these probes are indistinguishable in appearance. Unmasking will not occur until statistical analysis is complete.
Intervention. The potential cryoneurolysis sites will be again cleansed with chlorhexidine gluconate and isopropyl alcohol. With the same ultrasound transducer used to previously administer local anesthetic, the target nerve will again be identified in a transverse cross-sectional (short axis) view at or distal to the deposition of local anesthetic. A cryoneurolysis device (PainBlocker, Epimed, Farmers Branch, Texas) will be inserted with the appropriate randomization-designated probe (either active or sham/placebo) and nitrous oxide. The cryoneurolysis device will be triggered using 3 cycles of 2-minute gas activation (active or sham) separated by 1-minute defrost periods. The process will be repeated with the same treatment probe for the femoral nerve (e.g., both nerves will receive either active cryoneurolysis or sham/placebo, and not a mix of the two possible treatments).
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Crossover
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
盲法说明
All individuals will be masked to treatment with the exception of the anesthesiologist administering the procedure who will choose which probe to use: the functional or sham. Of note, this individual could not be masked to treatment since the cryoneurolysis ice ball is visualized on ultrasound; and, the practitioner would see a lack of ice ball formation for the sham probes.
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Adult patients of at least 18 years of age
- •with a lower limb traumatic or surgical amputation at least 12 weeks prior to enrollment distal to the hip (femoral head remaining)
- •who experience at least moderate phantom limb pain-defined as a 3 or higher on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10, 0= no pain; 10=worst imaginable pain)-at least daily for the previous 2 months.
- •accepting of a cryoneurolysis procedure
- •willing to avoid both changes to their analgesic regimen as well as elective surgical procedures from 1 month prior to and at least 4 months following the initial cryoneurolysis procedure.
排除标准
- •allergy to amide local anesthetics
- •pregnancy
- •incarceration
- •inability to communicate with the investigators
- •morbid obesity (body mass index > 40 kg/m2)
- •possessing any contraindication specific to cryoneurolysis such as a localized infection at the treatment site, cryoglobulinemia, cold urticaria and Reynaud's Syndrome.
结局指标
主要结局
Change From Baseline in Average Daily Phantom Pain Intensity
时间窗: Baseline and 4 months later (difference between the two is the primary end point)
The difference in average daily phantom pain intensity at baseline and 4 months following the initial intervention (measured with the numeric rating scale as part of the Brief Pain Inventory with a minimum value of 0 and maximum value of 10, 0=no pain and 10=worst imaginable pain)
次要结局
- Beck Depression Inventory(At baseline, 4 months after the initial and crossover treatments as well as 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Average Daily Phantom Pain Intensity(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Residual Limb Pain, Worst(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Phantom Limb Pain Duration(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Non-painful Phantom Sensations Frequency(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Residual Limb Pain Duration(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Worst Daily Phantom Pain Intensity(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Residual Limb Pain, Average(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Brief Pain Inventory Interference Subscale(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Residual Limb Pain Frequency(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Patient Global Impression of Change(Endpoints will be evaluated on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Phantom Limb Pain Frequency(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
- Non-painful Phantom Sensations Duration(Endpoints will be evaluated at baseline and on Days 1 and 7; and Months 1, 2, 3, and 4 after both the initial and subsequently the crossover treatments; and 12 months after the initial treatment)
研究者
Brian M. Ilfeld, MD, MS
Professor of Anesthesiology, In Residence
University of California, San Diego