Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Which painkiller-free method works best for teens after chest surgery?

NCT ID NCT04211935

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver 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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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

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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 compares three pain management techniques for teenagers undergoing minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (a sunken chest). The methods are: patient-controlled analgesia (PCA, where the patient pushes a button for pain medicine), erector spinae block (a nerve block with a continuous infusion pump), and intercostal nerve cryoablation (freezing nerves to reduce pain). The goal is to see which approach leads to the shortest hospital stay, least opioid use, and best pain control. About 158 participants aged 12–21 will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
nerve freezing (cryoablation), nerve block (erector spinae block), and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
What this could lead to
If successful, this study could identify the most effective pain control method for teens recovering from pectus excavatum surgery, potentially reducing opioid use and hospital stays.
What could go wrong
This is a single-center trial with 158 participants, so results may not apply to all hospitals or patients. Each method has its own risks, such as infection or nerve damage, and the study is not designed to prove long-term benefits.

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

About 158 people

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

Started

May 2020

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

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.

Ages

12 to 21 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * All patients with a pectus excavatum deformity that will undergo a MIRPE procedure will be included in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * \< 12 years old * \> 21 years old * chronic narcotic preoperative use * previous repair of pectus excavatum deformity * previous thoracic surgery * pregnancy

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Pain, postoperative are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain, Postoperative pectus excavatum

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Pain, postoperative Pectus excavatum

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Children's Hospital Colorado

    Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.