Could ketamine make arm surgery less painful?
NCT ID NCT06406647
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether adding ketamine to a standard nerve block can reduce pain after upper arm surgery. About 80 adults having arm surgery will receive the nerve block with or without ketamine, and their pain levels will be measured. The goal is to see if ketamine improves pain control and recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ketamine
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide better pain relief after arm surgery with fewer side effects.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with no placebo group, so results may not be conclusive. Ketamine can cause side effects like dizziness or hallucinations.
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
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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
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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20 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients undergoing upper limb orthopedic surgery, Exclusion Criteria: * \- Contraindications to regional block (coagulopathy, infection at the needle insertion site, or diaphragmatic paralysis). * Altered conscious level. * Pregnancy. * Body mass index (BMI \> 35). * Patients who have difficulty understanding the study protocol. * Patients who have any known contraindication to study medications. * Patient refusal.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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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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
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Faculty of Medicine
RECRUITINGAsyut, Egypt
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