2 Clinical Trials for Open Heart Surgery
The purpose of this study is to evaluate if the use of a bilateral nerve block with a local anesthetic (ropivacaine), as part of a standard of care pain control regimen (called multimodal analgesia \[MMA\]), has a favorable effect on our institutional MMA pain regimen. Subjects will go through the following study procedures: review of medical history and medications subjects have taken within a month prior to surgery. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the two study groups (1:1) to receive either, an ultrasound-guided bilateral nerve block (called "Pecto-Intercostal Fascial Block \[PIFB\]") with ropivacaine or saline 0.9 solution, in addition to our institutional MMA regimen. A baseline line pain and nausea scores will be recorded before surgery. The block will be performed right after general anesthesia induction. The details about the surgery will be collected. Pain assessments, nausea and vomiting scores will be registered at 12, 24 and 48 hours after surgery as well. Lastly, a follow up phone call will be made by the research team to conduct a pain-detect questionnaire at 30, 60 and 90 days after surgery.
The purpose of this research study is to compare two methods of recovering blood from surgical sponges used during heart and lung surgeries. The two methods are: 1) manually wringing sponges by hand, and 2) automated wringing sponges by an FDA approved suction device. Both methods are already in use in heart and lung surgeries at University Hospitals at the discretion of the surgeon.