New study tests gabapentin to cut opioid use in kids after chest surgery
NCT ID NCT04724252
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether giving children gabapentin before and after chest surgery can reduce their need for strong painkillers like morphine. About 60 children under 18 having heart or lung surgery will take part. The goal is to see if gabapentin helps control pain with fewer opioid-related side effects.
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
-
Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
-
About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Aug 2021
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
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
-
Up to 17 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 Hide 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: 1. Age newborn to \< 18 years. 2. Gestational age to be minimum 38 weeks. 3. Undergo cardiac surgery via a sternotomy or thoracotomy. OR Any Thoracic Surgery OR Planned noncardiac surgery via a thoracotomy or Video Assisted Thoracotomy (VATS). 4. Surgery will result in an inpatient stay of at least 48 hours. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Use of opioids within 30 days prior to study entry. 2. Renal Failure as defined by RIFLE Criteria. 3. History of seizures requiring active treatment. 4. History of chronic pain treated medically. 5. Diagnosis of Autism. 6. Unable to tolerate enteral medications. 7. Hematology/Oncology patients. 8. Parents/legal guardians unable to consent. 9. Participation in another clinical study presently or within the last 30 days 10. Pregnancy 11. Prisoners 12. Patient undergoing nuss procedure with cryoablation
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.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
UC Davis Medical Center
RECRUITINGSacramento, California, 95817, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can simple breathing exercises ease pain after knee replacement surgery?
- Three ways to block hernia surgery pain go head to head
- Could a small electrical device cut painkiller use after hip surgery?
- Can a blood pressure drug cut opioid needs during bowel surgery?
- Two nerve blocks go head to head for breast surgery pain
- Propofol vs. inhaled anesthesia: which one spares your recovery?