Clinical trial NCT04255420: SPG Blocks for Headaches
Official title: Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks for Headaches in the Emergency Department
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Headache
Keywords: sphenopalatine ganglion block
Lead sponsor: Kendall Healthcare Group, Ltd.
Sponsor class: INDUSTRY
Collaborators: name: Nova Southeastern University
First posted: 2020-02-05
Enrollment: 84
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This will be a single-center, open-label clinical trial comparing sphenopalatine ganglion blocks to standard intravenous therapy for patients who come to the emergency department for a headache.

Detailed description: Having outperformed other agents in head-to-head trials, intravenous (IV) dopamine antagonists, such as prochlorperazine or metoclopramide, are generally considered the 1st line treatment for headaches in the ED. However, despite the relative effectiveness of prochlorperazine, a substantial number of patients who present to the ED with a headache still have a moderate to severe headache 24 hours after discharge. Moreover, some patients may have difficult IV access, so it would be useful to employ a technique that could effectively treat headaches without the use of an IV line.

One therapy that has been suggested but not well-studied that might help treat headaches in the ED without the use of an IV line is the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block via intranasal lidocaine. The sphenopalatine ganglion may play a role in the development of pain in primary headaches through the release of neuropeptides that activate or sensitize intracranial nociceptors. Several prior randomized trials have evaluated the use of intranasal lidocaine or bupivacaine vs placebo for patients with migraine headaches, and the results have been mixed.

Thus, the investigators propose a single-center, open-label, clinical trial to compare the efficacy of SPG blocks to standard IV therapy for headaches in the ED.

Adult patients who come to the ED for a suspected primary headache may be enrolled. Patients who are assigned to the standard IV therapy group will receive prochlorperazine 10 mg and diphenhydramine 50 mg.

Patients who are assigned to the SPG block group will undergo the following procedure. A cotton-tipped applicator soaked in 1% lidocaine will be placed in the nostril on the side of the headache. If the headache is bilateral, a cotton-tipped applicator will be inserted into each nostril. The cotton-tipped applicator(s) will be left in place for 15 minutes. If the patient has not had significant improvement upon removal of the cotton-tipped applicator the physician may order IV medication for the patient's headache ("rescue analgesia").

Just before the initiation of treatment, an initial visual analog scale (VAS) pain score will be obtained from the patient. The VAS pain score will be repeated 15 and 30 minutes after treatment. Additional data will be determined through chart review and telephone follow up with the patient 24-72 hours after discharge.

The primary outcome of the study will be the difference between groups in the fraction of patients with a 50% reduction in VAS pain score at 15 minutes. Secondarily, the investigators will compare groups with regards to their mean VAS pain scores as 15 and 30 minutes after the initiation of the first treatment, hospital length of stay, the need for rescue analgesic medications, complications (nose bleed, akathisia, etc.), and presence of persistent headache 24-72 hours after discharge on telephone follow up.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Any patient at least 18 years old who presented to the ED with a suspected primary headache.

Exclusion Criteria:

* pregnant women
* prisoners
* meningeal signs
* fever
* any acute abnormality on neurologic exam
* allergy to one of study drugs
* on oral anticoagulant
* already received analgesic treatment in the ED

Primary outcomes:
measure: Percentage of Patients with Substantial Pain Reduction at 15 minutes
timeFrame: 15 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Mean Pain Score at 15 minutes
timeFrame: 15 minutes
measure: Change in Mean Pain Score at 30 minutes
timeFrame: 30 minutes
measure: Headache 24-72 hours later
timeFrame: 24-72 hours
measure: Hospital Length of Stay
timeFrame: 30 minutes to 1 week
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Miami
country: United States
facility: Kendall Regional Medical Center
state: Florida
Study officials:
affiliation: Kendall Healthcare Group, Ltd.
name: Tony Zitek, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Yarnitsky D, Goor-Aryeh I, Bajwa ZH, Ransil BI, Cutrer FM, Sottile A, Burstein R. 2003 Wolff Award: Possible parasympathetic contributions to peripheral and central sensitization during migraine. Headache. 2003 Jul-Aug;43(7):704-14. doi: 10.1046/j.1526-4610.2003.03127.x.
citation: Maizels M, Geiger AM. Intranasal lidocaine for migraine: a randomized trial and open-label follow-up. Headache. 1999 Sep;39(8):543-51. doi: 10.1046/j.1526-4610.1999.3908543.x.
citation: Blanda M, Rench T, Gerson LW, Weigand JV. Intranasal lidocaine for the treatment of migraine headache: a randomized, controlled trial. Acad Emerg Med. 2001 Apr;8(4):337-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb02111.x.
citation: Mohammadkarimi N, Jafari M, Mellat A, Kazemi E, Shirali A. Evaluation of efficacy of intra-nasal lidocaine for headache relief in patients refer to emergency department. J Res Med Sci. 2014 Apr;19(4):331-5.
citation: Avcu N, Dogan NO, Pekdemir M, Yaka E, Yilmaz S, Alyesil C, Akalin LE. Intranasal Lidocaine in Acute Treatment of Migraine: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2017 Jun;69(6):743-751. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.09.031. Epub 2016 Nov 23.
citation: Schaffer JT, Hunter BR, Ball KM, Weaver CS. Noninvasive sphenopalatine ganglion block for acute headache in the emergency department: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2015 May;65(5):503-10. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.12.012. Epub 2015 Jan 7.
citation: Maizels M, Scott B, Cohen W, Chen W. Intranasal lidocaine for treatment of migraine: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. JAMA. 1996 Jul 24-31;276(4):319-21.