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Ice packs may cut opioid use after Kids' appendix surgery

NCT ID NCT04986397

Symptom relief Sponsor: Boston Children's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether using a cold therapy device on the belly after appendix removal helps control pain in children ages 7 and older. Half the kids got the cold pack plus usual care, the other half got usual care alone. Researchers measured pain scores, morphine use, and hospital stay length to see if the cold pack made a difference.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Cold therapy device (Breg Polar Care Cube)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give children a simple, non-drug way to ease pain after appendix surgery, reducing the need for opioids.
What could go wrong
This is a small, single-center study with only 52 participants. The results may not apply to all children or hospitals, and cold therapy might not be as effective as standard pain medicines.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

52 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2021

Finished

May 2023

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

7 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age of 7 years of older * Diagnosis of appendicitis and scheduled appendectomy Exclusion Criteria: * Neurologic and Decision Impairment * Chronic opioid dependency * Planned ICU admission post-operatively * Reoperation during hospital stay * Ward of the state * Non-english and non-spanish speakers

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

appendicitis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Appendicitis

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Boston Children's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

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