6 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the EchoMark and EchoSure as an ultrasound-based method of monitoring the viability of free flaps and patency of at-risk vessels.
Women that require breast reconstruction and meet eligibility will be enrolled in this study. The study is being completed to determine the effect of caffeine in deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap perfusion using the Vioptix tissue oximeter monitor and to determine if caffeine in the acute postoperative period affects overall flap complication or loss (complete loss from anastomotic issue). The researchers hypothesize that a single 8 ounce cup of regular coffee will not affect free flap perfusion as indicated by the Vioptix, and that it will not affect overall free flap survival at thirty days.
This study evaluates donor site outcomes in patients receiving radial forearm free flap reconstruction versus ulnar forearm free flap reconstruction. Patients who meet criteria for forearm free flap reconstruction are randomized to receiving either radial forearm free flap or ulnar forearm free flap reconstruction.
Head and neck oncologic surgery often requires the use of free tissue transfer, or microvascular reconstruction, to reconstruct defects created by tumor resections. Although there are several techniques for the reconstruction of defects, resection of large tumors leave defects that require the transfer of vascularized tissue from one part of the body to repair the defect. For example, the removal of a segment of diseased mandible requires free tissue transfer containing the component parts - skin, muscle, and bone - to reconstruct the deficit created by the resection of the tumor. Over the years, microvascular surgeons have focused their attention on maximizing the success of these technically difficult surgeries. However, now, with free flap reconstruction rates in excess of 95%, surgeons are afforded the opportunity to turn their focus toward the morbidities associated with these surgeries. While much has been published about donor site wound healing, pain control in the post-operative period has largely been neglected in the head and neck reconstruction literature. Systemic analgesia with opioids is standard of care, which has been shown to lead to increased confusion, significantly increased length of stay and increased risk of pulmonary complications. In addition, it has been shown that early mobilization and optimal wound care can decrease donor site morbidity. In this study the clinical team aims to better control donor site pain utilizing local, targeted analgesia to relieve pain at the donor site for osseocutaneous free-flaps. To reduce confounding and bias, the study will be a double-blind prospective randomized placebo controlled trial wherein patients undergoing osseocutaneous free flap surgery will be randomized to receive continuous infusion of ropivacaine or normal saline (placebo) via local continuous infusion catheter, which will be placed intraoperatively at the time of donor site closure. Patients' pain will be monitored for the first 48hrs after surgery. Donor site and global pain at rest will be evaluated every 8 hours for the first two postoperative days using a visual analogue pain scale (VAS). Essentially, there is a 100 millimeter line drawn on a piece of paper, with "no pain" marking the left end of the line and "worst pain" marking the right end of the line. Subjects mark with a pen along the line where pain is felt fits along that continuum. A researcher then measures how far along the line that mark is placed and then it is recorded. Median daily opiate use via PCA will also be tracked. Donor site-specific range of motion and strength will be assessed with a formal physical therapy evaluation on post-operative day 2 or soonest non-holiday weekday. Information on patient satisfaction, time to ambulation, and length of stay will also be collected. Subgroup analysis will be performed.
Tissue transfer flaps are a method of moving tissue from a donor location to a recipient location. In the case of a free tissue transfer flaps, the blood vessels to the transferred tissues are detached and then re-attached to different arteries \& veins at the recipient site. The process of reconstructive surgery using tissue transfer flaps allows for improved results in terms of functionality, aesthetic appearance, and psychological well-being in patients requiring reconstructive surgery after cancer resection or trauma. The process of reconstructive surgery using tissue transfer flaps is not without complications. These complications may include acute arterial or venous occlusion, as well as the development of late complications such as fat necrosis and flap atrophy. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if a novel, unique, portable, non-contact optical imaging device developed at the Beckman Laser Institute called Modulated Imaging (MI) can detect changes in a flap's optical properties, which can correlate with arterial or venous occlusion or with the development of fat necrosis or flap atrophy. The study would also evaluate if changes in the tissue transfer flap's optical properties, as detected by the device could be employed as a monitoring device in the post-operative period after reconstructive surgery. The MI device's detection of specific optical properties of a tissue flap could also potentially be used as a diagnostic tool to predict the likelihood of the development of fat necrosis or flap atrophy in a delayed fashion several months after reconstructive surgery. Prior animal and clinical studies using similar devices have demonstrated that changes in the total hemoglobin concentration and percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin in the tissue transfer flap can be used to differentiate between arterial and venous occlusion. These other similar devices have been shown to be able to detect venous occlusion prior to clinical manifestations of venous occlusion using standard monitoring methods. This early detection of venous occlusion has important implications. It is well established that early detection and surgical re-exploration and correction of venous occlusion is associated with improved survival and salvage rates of tissue transfer flaps. It has been suggested in the reconstructive literature that the development of fat necrosis and flap atrophy are caused by a relative arterial or venous insufficiency, which could be detected using the MI device prior to the clinical manifestations of these complications.Patients undergoing reconstructive surgery at UCI Medical Center will be recruited for enrollment into the study. The study design requires following the patients and review their medical records in order to determine the clinical outcomes of their reconstructive surgery. The process of review of the medical record will require the review of both the in-patient medical record during the hospitalization in which the reconstructive surgery takes place and the outpatient medical record after surgery in order to observe for the possible development of the acute and delayed complications of reconstructive surgery.
This study involves the use of an Investigational Product called NTX-001. It is a product used in the repair of nerve injuries. It is used in the operating room. The main purposes of this study are to 1) see how safe NTX-001 is when used in nerve repair and, 2) see if your nerve becomes functional in a shorter period of time when compared to what is normally done to treat nerve injuries.