Can a pupil test replace pain scales for kids?

NCT ID NCT07336264

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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

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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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 tests a new device that measures pain by looking at changes in pupil size after a gentle electrical stimulation. Researchers will enroll 100 children and teens ages 6 to 21 who are having surgery or bone marrow transplant. The device is non-invasive and does not change any medical treatment. The goal is to find a more objective way to assess pain in young patients.

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.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2025

Expected to finish

Jun 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

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.

Who is studied

The study population includes children and adolescents ages 6 to 21 years receiving care at Children's National Hospital who are either undergoing elective surgical procedures or bone marrow transplantation. Participants will be followed prospectively and undergo non-invasive nociceptive measurements during routine clinical care, including periods before and after procedures and during inpatient follow-up. The study does not alter clinical management, and all treatments are provided according to standard of care.

Ages

6 to 21 years

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: * Children and adolescents ages 6 to 21 years * Undergoing elective surgical procedures without a history of chronic pain, OR undergoing or planning to undergo bone marrow transplantation (BMT) * Able to provide written informed assent and parental permission/consent, as applicable Exclusion Criteria: * Documented history of eye disease that precludes pupillometry * Unwilling or unable to participate

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Acute Pain Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

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

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Children's National Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20010, United States

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