5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The research protocol aims to compare the utility of contrast enhanced abdominal sonography with computerized tomography in the evaluation of children with blunt abdominal trauma. Hemodynamically stable children ages 7-18 who are transferred to Children's Hospital on the trauma service with a CT scan of abdomen \& pelvis already performed at the referring institution will be identified by the trauma service as eligible for inclusion. The ultrasounds will be performed by one of two Attending Radiologists involved in the study. The contrast being used for the study is Optison (GE Healthcare Inc, Princeton, NJ), which is an injectable suspension of Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres. This has been used in echocardiography as well as abdominal ultrasonography for evaluation of pediatric abdominal and pelvic solid tumors. The contrast enhanced ultrasound will be performed by radiologist. Contrast enhancement only lasts for 3-5 minutes per injection, therefore Optison will be redosed up to 2 additional doses for the completion of the ultrasound. Vital signs will be monitored for 30 minutes after the contrast agent is given and any adverse reactions will be recorded. Adverse reactions to Optison have occurred within this time frame in the literature. Subsequent medical care will be as indicated per the clinical practice guideline.
The submitted proposal is designed to reduce morbidity and mortality to injured children. Significant variability in the initial trauma assessment exists among institutions. The proposed project is a prospective, observational, multi-institutional study of children following blunt abdominal trauma. The specific goals of the project are to: 1) Document history, physical exam findings, imaging, and laboratory values, which are available to physicians during the initial trauma resuscitation prior to a decision on whether to order an abdominal computed tomography (CT) to evaluate for potential intra-abdominal injury; and 2) Derive and validate a multi-variable clinical prediction rule based on data variables readily available during the pediatric trauma resuscitation to identify patients at low risk for intra-abdominal injury, in which unnecessary CT might safely be avoided. Information from this study could be used to develop a more standardized approach to the evaluation for intra-abdominal injury following blunt trauma in children. This information could lead to significant improvement in the early recognition of injury and to improved resource utilization.
This multicenter study aims to evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing abdominal solid organ injuries in pediatric patients. Up to 130 subjects will complete the study across approximately 5-10 sites in the US, with up to 30 patients in the training phase (3 per site) and 100 patients in the treatment phase of the study. All subjects will have had a CT scan as part of standard of care, confirming at least one solid organ abdominal injury. The study procedure will occur within 48 hours from time of injury. All subjects will have an abdominal ultrasound without contrast, followed by a contrast-enhanced ultrasound using the contrast agent Lumason. Ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound results will be compared to the CT scan results. The CT and ultrasound scans will be read locally and will undergo central review.
Abdominopelvic CT (CTap) utilization rose significantly in blunt trauma patients over the last decade. However, the observed increases failed to reduce mortality or missed injury rates. Several investigators have derived (citation) and validated (citation) clinical decision rules that attempt to identify a subset of low risk pediatric and adult patients in whom abdominopelvic CT imaging can be safely eliminated. Thus far these efforts failed to significantly reduce utilization. The investigators propose an alternative and complimentary strategy to decrease radiation by selectively eliminating the pelvic imaging portion of the abdominopelvic CT in low risk patients. In stable, alert patients without clinically evidence of pelvis or hip fractures, abdominal CT imaging alone (diaphragm to iliac crest) identifies clinically significant intra-abdominal injury (cs-IAI) as accurately as routine abdominopelvic imaging (diaphragm to greater trochanter) and results in a clinically important decrease in radiation exposure. The study will investigate this by comparing the accuracy of an imaging protocol using CT abdomen alone versus CT abdomen and pelvis to detect cs-IAI among stable, blunt trauma patients without suspected pelvis or hip fractures in two age groups: ages 3-17 years and 18-60. Patients will undergo CT imaging as deemed clinically indicated by the treating clinician. Among those who have abdominopelvic CT scans, the study will determine the test characteristics of CT abdomen alone versus CT abdomen plus CT pelvis imaging for the identification of cs-IAI. The reference standard will include initial radiology reports, with structured follow up of indeterminate scans, operative reports, and 7-day medical record review.
Pain is common in children presenting to the emergency department but is frequently undertreated, leading to both short- and long-term consequences. Morphine is the standard treatment for children with moderate to severe acute pain, but its use is associated with serious side effects and caregiver and clinician concerns related to opioid administration. The investigators aim to determine if sub-dissociative ketamine is non-inferior to morphine for treating acute pain and a preferable alternative for treating acute pain in children because of its more favorable side effect profile and potential long-term benefits related to pain-related function, analgesic use/misuse, and mental and behavioral health outcomes.