Analgesic Effects of Low-dose S-ketamine in Major Spine Fusion Surgery

NCT ID: NCT04964219

Last Updated: 2025-07-30

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

164 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-02-08

Study Completion Date

2025-05-02

Brief Summary

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Despite opioid-based multimodal analgesia, moderate-to-severe pain remains a big problem in patients following multi-segment spinal fusion. As a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, S-ketamine has prominent analgesic effects through activating receptors both in the brain and in the spinal cord, inhibiting the excitatory postsynaptic potential, and thus blunting nociception transmission.

This randomized controlled trial is designed to investigate whether perioperative S-ketamine infusion can decrease pain intensity after major spine fusion surgery.

Detailed Description

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Multi-segment spinal fusion usually lasts long and produces significant trauma. Patients following this surgery are at high risk of developing moderate-to-severe pain. In a large sample size cohort study investigating pain severity following 179 kinds of surgical procedures, multi-segment spinal fusion ranked the third with a median pain score of 6.6 (assessed with an 11-point scale, where 0=no pain and 10= the worst pain) and a median morphine consumption of 27 mg during the first postoperative day.

High-dose opioids are associated with adverse effects including respiratory depression, sedation, nausea and vomiting, pruritus, and constipation, which are harmful for early postoperative recovery. A previous study showed that about 50% of patients are taking opioids for chronic pain at 3 months after spinal fusion surgery. Chronic pain is considered to be a result of poorly controlled acute postoperative pain. Thus, multimodal analgesia aiming at improving analgesia while decreasing opioid consumption is advocated to control acute postsurgical pain, in order to promote perioperative recovery and prevent chronic pain.

Racemic ketamine, a commonly used N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is a mixture of equal parts of two optical isomers including R-(-)-ketamine and S-(+)-ketamine. It has prominent analgesic effects through activating receptors both in the brain and in the spinal cord, inhibiting the excitatory postsynaptic potential, and thus blunting nociception transmission. Additionally, studies also showed that, when used within the appropriate time, ketamine reduces pain-related sensitization that aggravates postoperative pain. Thus, ketamine is recommended as a part of a multimodal analgesia regimen in clinical practice, especially for patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. However, the reported psychotropic side effects limit the clinical use of racemic ketamine.

S-ketamine, an S-isomer of ketamine, is twice as potent as the racemic mixture in analgesia, and produces fewer side effects than the racemic ketamine. How, there are only a few studies exploring analgesic effect of S-ketamine in spine fusion surgery. In opioid-dependent patients, Nielsen et al. reported that intraoperative S-ketamine infusion reduced opioid consumption within 24 hours and relieved back pain intensity at 6 months, it also decreased the daily opioid use at 1 year after spinal surgery. On the other hand, the study of Brinck et al. did not found any superiority of intraoperative S-ketamine in reducing oxycodone consumption within 48 hours after lumbar fusion surgery in opioid-naive patients.

Considering these inconsistent results, the effects of S-ketamine in spinal surgery require further clarification. This trial is designed to investigate the analgesic effect of S-ketamine infused both intraoperatively and postoperatively in patients undergoing multi-segment spine infusion surgery.

Conditions

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S-ketamine Postoperative Analgesia Spine Fusion

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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S-ketamine group

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of 0.15 mg/kg S-ketamine is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.15 mg/kg/h until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with S-ketamine 25 mg, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram, and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

S-ketamine

Intervention Type DRUG

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of 0.15 mg/kg S-ketamine is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.15 mg/kg/h until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with S-ketamine 25 mg, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram, and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Control group

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of placebo (normal saline) in the same volume is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion of placebo at the same rate until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with placebo, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of placebo (normal saline) in the same volume is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion of placebo at the same rate until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with placebo, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Interventions

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S-ketamine

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of 0.15 mg/kg S-ketamine is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.15 mg/kg/h until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with S-ketamine 25 mg, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram, and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo

After anesthesia induction, a bolus of placebo (normal saline) in the same volume is injected intravenously about 30 min before incision; this is followed by a continuous infusion of placebo at the same rate until 1 hour before the end of surgery.

After surgery, patient-controlled analgesia is provided. The pump is established with placebo, dexmedetomidine 100 microgram and sufentanil 100 microgram, diluted with normal saline to 100 ml. The pump is programmed to deliver 2-ml boluses with a background infusion rate at 1 ml /h and a 10-min lockout interval.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients aged between 18 and 80 years.
* Scheduled to undergo multi-segment (≥2) spine fusion surgery.
* Agreed to receive postoperative patient-controlled analgesia.

Exclusion Criteria

* Refused to participant in this trial.
* Poor blood pressure control in those with hypertension (BP \>160/100 mmHg in the ward).
* Previous history of hyperthyroidism or pheochromocytoma.
* Previous history of schizophrenia, epilepsy or Parkinson disease.
* History of sick sinus syndrome, bradycardia (HR \<50 beat per min), or atrioventricular block of grade II or higher without pacemaker.
* Severe heart dysfunction (New York Heart Association functional classification 4), hepatic insufficiency (Child-Pugh grade C), renal insufficiency (serum creatinine of 442 μmol/L or above, or requirement of renal replacement therapy), or ASA classification IV or above.
* Unable to complete preoperative assessment due to severe dementia or language barrier.
* Any other conditions that were considered unsuitable for the study participation.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Peking University First Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dong-Xin Wang

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Dong-Xin Wang, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Peking University First Hospital

Locations

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Beijing University First Hospital

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Site Status

Countries

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China

References

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Gerbershagen HJ, Aduckathil S, van Wijck AJ, Peelen LM, Kalkman CJ, Meissner W. Pain intensity on the first day after surgery: a prospective cohort study comparing 179 surgical procedures. Anesthesiology. 2013 Apr;118(4):934-44. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31828866b3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23392233 (View on PubMed)

Stein C. New concepts in opioid analgesia. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2018 Oct;27(10):765-775. doi: 10.1080/13543784.2018.1516204. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30148648 (View on PubMed)

Connolly J 3rd, Javed Z, Raji MA, Chan W, Kuo YF, Baillargeon J. Predictors of Long-term Opioid Use Following Lumbar Fusion Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2017 Sep 15;42(18):1405-1411. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000002133.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28263225 (View on PubMed)

Ocay DD, Li MMJ, Ingelmo P, Ouellet JA, Page MG, Ferland CE. Predicting Acute Postoperative Pain Trajectories and Long-Term Outcomes of Adolescents after Spinal Fusion Surgery. Pain Res Manag. 2020 Feb 24;2020:9874739. doi: 10.1155/2020/9874739. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32184913 (View on PubMed)

Cozowicz C, Bekeris J, Poeran J, Zubizarreta N, Schwenk E, Girardi F, Memtsoudis SG. Multimodal Pain Management and Postoperative Outcomes in Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery: A Population-based Cohort Study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2020 May 1;45(9):580-589. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000003320.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31770340 (View on PubMed)

Walker CT, Gullotti DM, Prendergast V, Radosevich J, Grimm D, Cole TS, Godzik J, Patel AA, Whiting AC, Little A, Uribe JS, Kakarla UK, Turner JD. Implementation of a Standardized Multimodal Postoperative Analgesia Protocol Improves Pain Control, Reduces Opioid Consumption, and Shortens Length of Hospital Stay After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Fusion. Neurosurgery. 2020 Jul 1;87(1):130-136. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyz312.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31414128 (View on PubMed)

Doan LV, Wang J. An Update on the Basic and Clinical Science of Ketamine Analgesia. Clin J Pain. 2018 Nov;34(11):1077-1088. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000635.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29927768 (View on PubMed)

Brinck EC, Tiippana E, Heesen M, Bell RF, Straube S, Moore RA, Kontinen V. Perioperative intravenous ketamine for acute postoperative pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Dec 20;12(12):CD012033. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012033.pub4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30570761 (View on PubMed)

Park PJ, Makhni MC, Cerpa M, Lehman RA, Lenke LG. The role of perioperative ketamine in postoperative pain control following spinal surgery. J Spine Surg. 2020 Sep;6(3):591-597. doi: 10.21037/jss-19-306.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33102896 (View on PubMed)

Avidan MS, Maybrier HR, Abdallah AB, Jacobsohn E, Vlisides PE, Pryor KO, Veselis RA, Grocott HP, Emmert DA, Rogers EM, Downey RJ, Yulico H, Noh GJ, Lee YH, Waszynski CM, Arya VK, Pagel PS, Hudetz JA, Muench MR, Fritz BA, Waberski W, Inouye SK, Mashour GA; PODCAST Research Group. Intraoperative ketamine for prevention of postoperative delirium or pain after major surgery in older adults: an international, multicentre, double-blind, randomised clinical trial. Lancet. 2017 Jul 15;390(10091):267-275. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31467-8. Epub 2017 May 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28576285 (View on PubMed)

Arendt-Nielsen L, Nielsen J, Petersen-Felix S, Schnider TW, Zbinden AM. Effect of racemic mixture and the (S+)-isomer of ketamine on temporal and spatial summation of pain. Br J Anaesth. 1996 Nov;77(5):625-31. doi: 10.1093/bja/77.5.625.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8957979 (View on PubMed)

Adams HA, Werner C. [From the racemate to the eutomer: (S)-ketamine. Renaissance of a substance?]. Anaesthesist. 1997 Dec;46(12):1026-42. doi: 10.1007/s001010050503. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9451486 (View on PubMed)

Pfenninger E, Baier C, Claus S, Hege G. [Psychometric changes as well as analgesic action and cardiovascular adverse effects of ketamine racemate versus s-(+)-ketamine in subanesthetic doses]. Anaesthesist. 1994 Nov;43 Suppl 2:S68-75. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7840417 (View on PubMed)

Adams HA, Thiel A, Jung A, Fengler G, Hempelmann G. [Studies using S-(+)-ketamine on probands. Endocrine and circulatory reactions, recovery and dream experiences]. Anaesthesist. 1992 Oct;41(10):588-96. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1332529 (View on PubMed)

Nielsen RV, Fomsgaard JS, Siegel H, Martusevicius R, Nikolajsen L, Dahl JB, Mathiesen O. Intraoperative ketamine reduces immediate postoperative opioid consumption after spinal fusion surgery in chronic pain patients with opioid dependency: a randomized, blinded trial. Pain. 2017 Mar;158(3):463-470. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000782.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28067693 (View on PubMed)

Nielsen RV, Fomsgaard JS, Nikolajsen L, Dahl JB, Mathiesen O. Intraoperative S-ketamine for the reduction of opioid consumption and pain one year after spine surgery: A randomized clinical trial of opioid-dependent patients. Eur J Pain. 2019 Mar;23(3):455-460. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1317. Epub 2018 Oct 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30246357 (View on PubMed)

Brinck ECV, Maisniemi K, Kankare J, Tielinen L, Tarkkila P, Kontinen VK. Analgesic Effect of Intraoperative Intravenous S-Ketamine in Opioid-Naive Patients After Major Lumbar Fusion Surgery Is Temporary and Not Dose-Dependent: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Anesth Analg. 2021 Jan;132(1):69-79. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004729.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32167978 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2021-272

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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