New device could replace opioids for weeks of pain relief after surgery
NCT ID NCT07052721
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a device called RELAY that delivers both local anesthetic and mild electrical pulses to nerves after shoulder or foot surgery. The goal is to provide up to 28 days of pain relief, much longer than current options. About 50 adults undergoing specific surgeries will be enrolled. The device is compared to a sham (fake) treatment to see if it reduces pain and the need for opioids.
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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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44 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- 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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18 years and older
- 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.
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. Adult participants of at least 18 years of age 2. Undergoing a rotator cuff repair, total shoulder arthroplasty, clavicle fracture ORIF, or foot/ankle surgery anticipated to have moderate-to-severe pain for a week after surgery (e.g., ankle arthroplasty/arthrodesis) 3. At least a single-injection peripheral nerve block(s) planned 4. An Android or Apple smartphone able to download the Gate Keeper controller app Exclusion criteria: 1. Chronic opioid or tramadol use (daily within prior 2 weeks and duration \> 4 weeks) 2. Neuro-muscular deficit of the surgical limb 3. Compromised immune system based on medical history (e.g., immunosuppressive therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, sepsis, infection), or other conditions that places the subject at increased risk of infection 4. Implanted spinal cord stimulator, cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator, deep brain stimulator, or other implantable neurostimulator whose stimulus current pathway may overlap 5. History of bleeding disorder 6. Antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapies other than aspirin 7. Allergy to skin-contact materials (occlusive dressings, bandages, tape etc.) 8. Incarceration 9. Pregnancy 10. Moderate pain (NRS \> 3) in an anatomic location other than the surgical site 11. Anxiety disorder 12. History of substance misuse 13. Inability to communicate with the investigators 14. Inability to contact the investigators during the treatment period, and vice versa (e.g., lack of telephone access) 15. Allergy to amide local anesthetics 16. Morbid obesity (body mass index \> 40 kg/m2)
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of California San Diego
La Jolla, California, 92137, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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