Clinical trial NCT03867539: Exparel and Education to Avoid Opioids After Carpal Tunnel Release
Official title: Exparel and Education to Avoid Opioids After Carpal Tunnel Release
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Keywords: hand
exparel
opioid crisis
Lead sponsor: Kettering Health Network
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: American Society for Surgery of the Hand
First posted: 2019-03-08
Enrollment: 64
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: This trial seeks to use the long acting local anesthetic Exparel, in conjunction with opioid education, to attempt to avoid any post-operative opioid use following carpal tunnel surgery. This group will be compared with a "standard" group that receives non-liposomal bupivacaine, opioid education, and opioids.

Detailed description: As has become apparent in the media, as well as in the clinical practice of nearly every type of medicine over the last few years, the nation is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic. This is a significant public health issue that has sweeping consequences that reach far beyond the medical field. The investigators believe over the last several decades, public perception regarding pain, especially post-operatively, has changed for the worse. The nation is in need of a paradigm shift in the way pain is managed, and the way the public perceives this issue, especially regarding pain expectations. As patients have become more involved with medical care as well as more knowledgeable, the investigators often see patients having performed online research regarding outcomes and expectations following particular procedures, to include post-operative pain. Commonly, even for smaller procedures performed in office, patients request opioids. As of yet, there are few data regarding use of long acting (Exparel) local analgesia alone in hand surgery, and none combining this strategy with pre-operative opioid education. The goal is to build the groundwork for the cessation of opioid prescription following carpal tunnel surgery, and produce proof that may be given patients to showing this to be an effective strategy. As some sources estimate 400,000 carpal tunnel surgeries are performed yearly, it is believed that this alternative pain management strategy, if adopted at a national level, would make a significant step towards remedying the current crisis. The rationale as to why this will be successful is the duration of action of Exparel, which has been shown to be effective for up to 72 hours. By 72 hours, post-procedure pain levels tend to have dropped precipitously, if not resolved. Use of pre-operative opioid education has also been shown to decrease perception of the need for and use of opioids. The investigators plan to study two groups: a control/standard of care group, that are given pre-operative opioid education as well as opioids, and a study group, which will have pre-operative opioid education, Exparel injection, and no opioids. Exparel will be administered as 10cc injected in the operative field, consisting of \~5cc of Exparel, \~5cc of bupivacaine, and epinephrine. All injections will be performed in the same manner. Following injection, carpal tunnel release will be performed in a similar manner in all patients. Patients that meet all of the inclusion and none of the exclusion criteria would be eligible for participation. If a patient agreed to participate, they would be randomized to group A (standard of care + education), or group B (Exparel + education + no opioids). This would be accomplished by drawing an A or B written on a paper ticket out of a bag. Adverse reactions and pain levels at 24, 48, and 72 hours will be assessed with telephone or email questionnaire, as will use of medication in the opioid group. Statistical analysis will be performed using analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test, and/or chi square test, as appropriate. The public health relevance of this project is to alter patient's perceived need for opioid medications post procedure, and decrease the amount of circulating opioids locally and nationally. The investigators believe this a meritorious goal, given that opioid related overdose deaths have increased eight-fold from 2012 to 2016.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed either by physical exam or EMG
* age \>18.

Exclusion Criteria:

* allergy to bupivacaine
* pre-operative opioid usage within the last six months
* patients allergic to Percocet or acetaminophen
* patients taking tricyclic antidepressants (interaction with bupivacaine)
* vulnerable populations (prisoners or pregnant women)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Evaluation of post operative pain levels via Visual Analog Scale
timeFrame: Within the first few months of study duration
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Failure of alternate pain management strategy
timeFrame: Within the first few months of study duration
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Dayton
country: United States
facility: Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio
state: Ohio
city: Dayton
country: United States
facility: Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: Kettering Health Network
name: Ronald Buczek, DO
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Al Youha S, Lalonde DH. Update/Review: changing of use of local anesthesia in the hand. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2014 Jun 6;2(5):e150. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000000095. eCollection 2014 May.
citation: Okamura A, Meirelles LM, Fernandes CH, Raduan Neto J, Dos Santos JB, Faloppa F. Evaluation of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome treated by endoscopic technique. Acta Ortop Bras. 2014;22(1):29-33. doi: 10.1590/S1413-78522014000100005.
citation: Alter TH, Ilyas AM. A Prospective Randomized Study Analyzing Preoperative Opioid Counseling in Pain Management After Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery. J Hand Surg Am. 2017 Oct;42(10):810-815. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2017.07.003. Epub 2017 Sep 8.
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citation: Ketonis C, Ilyas AM, Liss F. Pain management strategies in hand surgery. Orthop Clin North Am. 2015 Jul;46(3):399-408, xi. doi: 10.1016/j.ocl.2015.02.008. Epub 2015 Mar 31.
citation: Ketonis C, Kim N, Liss F, Zmistowski B, Matzon J, Leinberry C, Wang M, Jones C, Abboudi J, Kirkpatrick W, Ilyas AM. Wide Awake Trigger Finger Release Surgery: Prospective Comparison of Lidocaine, Marcaine, and Exparel. Hand (N Y). 2016 Jun;11(2):177-83. doi: 10.1177/1558944715627618. Epub 2016 Mar 8.
citation: Svensson I, Sjostrom B, Haljamae H. Assessment of pain experiences after elective surgery. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2000 Sep;20(3):193-201. doi: 10.1016/s0885-3924(00)00174-3.