Preemptive Low-dose Epidural Ketamine for Preventing Chronic Post-thoracotomy Pain

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01017393

Enrollment

209

Registered

2009-11-20

Start date

2004-04-30

Completion date

2005-06-30

Last updated

2009-11-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Chronic Post-thoracotomy Pain

Keywords

preemptive epidural ketamine, prevention of chronic post-thoracotomy pain

Brief summary

Chronic post-thoracotomy pain is the most common long-term complication that occurs after a thoracotomy with a reported incidence of up to 80%. While thoracic epidural analgesia has become the mainstay for managing acute post-thoracotomy pain, its effect on the chronic post-thoracotomy pain seems questionable. The objective of this prospective, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial was to assess the effect of preemptive low-dose epidural ketamine in addition to preemptive thoracic epidural analgesia on the incidence of chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

Interventions

DRUGKetamine

DRUGketamine free

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

19 Years to 81 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients undergoing surgery with a thoracotomy incision

Exclusion criteria

* history of previous thoracic surgery, chronic pain, psychiatric disease, cardiac or vascular disease, neurologic deficits, or contraindications to epidural catheterization such as coagulopathy, or localized or systemic infection

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Incidence of pain 3 months after surgery	3 months after surgery

Countries

South Korea

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026