Veterans Special Report

Clinical Trial – Normative Datasets for Assessments Planned for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (NORMAL)

by | Aug 16, 2013 | Clinical Trials, Focus: Healthy Adults Without Brain Injury, HBOT Research

The purpose of the research study is to collect information about brain function and
structure among active duty military personnel or civilians who are healthy. Researchers want
to develop a database from normal volunteers that will be used in comparison with a similar
database from active duty military with post-concussive syndrome (PCS) from a mild traumatic
brain injury. Findings from this study may be used to design larger studies that will
evaluate whether hyperbaric oxygen treatments actually improve PCS.

Participants in this study will undergo numerous tests to assess physical, mental, and
intellectual health and how they might change over time. Participants will wear heart and
activity monitors, undergo brain imaging, provide blood and urine for laboratory testing, and
have vision, hearing, balance, and muscle function tests. They will also complete a number of
questionnaires and interviews. This battery of tests will be repeated twice more over the
course of 6 months.

Clinical Trial – ET50 With Fentanyl for Post Caesarean Section Spinal Hypotension

by | Jul 2, 2013 | Clinical Trials, HBOT Research, Hypotension

Hypotension is extremely common after induction of spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.
Anesthetic blockade of the sympathetic outflow of the spinal cord causes vasodilation, and is
one cause of this hypotension. The higher the spread of the blockade will result in a higher
incidence of hypotension. Injected hyperbaric medication has about 15 minutes to spread
within the intrathecal space before it will be taken up by the nerve roots. The time that a
patient remains in one position after medication injection will affect the spread of the
resultant anesthetic block. A patient who is left sitting for a longer period of time after
injection of hyperbaric medication will have a lower level of block than someone who is
placed supine immediately. In this study, the investigators wish to use up down sequential
analysis to determine the time period a patient should remain seated after intrathecal
injection of hyperbaric bupivacaine and fentanyl that will result in a 50% rate of
hypotension.

Clinical Trial – Effects of Dexmedetomidine Premedication on Geriatric Patients With Chronic Renal Failure Undergoing Hip Surgery

by | Apr 17, 2013 | Chronic Renal Failure, Clinical Trials, HBOT Research

Geriatric patients (age ≥ 65 years) undergo surgery for hip fractures that develops due to
osteoporosis and falls. Dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease is associated with an
increased risk of cardiovascular comorbidity. Elective or urgent surgical operations may be
required for geriatric patients with end stage renal disease. These patients have severe
comorbidities, fluid, electrolyte disturbances and drug metabolism abnormalities during the
perioperative period. For this reasons a careful anesthesia plan should be planned and
performed. Spinal anesthesia can be used for hip fracture surgery at geriatric patients with
chronic renal failure. Anterograde femoral intramedullary nailing can be performed in supine
position with a fracture table. Intraoperative sedation might be necessary for patients under
regional anesthesia on traction table. Dexmedetomidine is an alpha 2 receptor agonist that is
being used as an agent for its sedative and adjuvant analgesic effects.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine premedication on
geriatric patients with end stage renal disease, who will be undergoing a surgical operation
for hip fracture under spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine and BIS (Bispectral
Index) guided sedation with intraoperative propofol infusion.