View clinical trials related to Wounds and Injuries.
Filter by:Background: Although a small group, special attention has to be given to lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunctions in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, as they also suffer under a loss of motor-sensory function and autonomic regulation next to the severe deficiencies in bladder and bowel control. Autonomic dysregulation linked with LUT dysfunction can cause autonomic dysreflexia with life threatening increases in blood pressure and there is still no concept for an early rehabilitation of bladder function after SCI. Hypothesis: We assume that inadequate reorganization of nerve fibres in SCI is a reason for spastic bladder dysfunction and vegetative dysregulation and that this can be positively influenced by early neuromodulation. We hypothesized that bladder dysfunction as well as autonomic dysreflexia will be positively affected. Specific aims: Evaluation, if external pudendal nerve stimulation (EPS) can positively influence LUT rehabilitation in SCI patients and if early initiation of stimulation is more effective compared to late initiation (after spinal shock). Experimental design: Prospective multicentre study in 36 SCI patients (24 treatment subjects, 12 control subjects). EPS will be started either within 10 days after SCI (early stim group) or after cessation of spinal shock (late stim group). Effects on spastic bladder function and autonomic disinhibition will be assessed by urodynamics, vegetative tests, and by electrophysiological techniques. Expected value: If early EPS is effective and complete SCI patients benefit from this intervention; and if early onset of EPS has better and longer lasting effects than late onset stimulation, the findings will be of utmost relevance not only for bladder function but also to alleviate adverse phenomena such as autonomic dysreflexia. Neurostimulation may bear the opportunity to early reshape maladaptive neuroplasticity. This would be proof of an effective modulation and promotion of neuroplasticity, thus opening up new treatment options in the field of paraplegiology.
The purpose of this research study is to test the safety of an oxygen producing gel (produced by combining baking soda and hydrogen peroxide) and see what effects (good and bad) it has on skin incisions in children. Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but have not been approved for use in this manner. It is hypothesized that a combination of sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide may enhance wound healing of incisional wounds for bilateral hernia repair.
The aim of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to conventional sedative therapy compared to conventional sedative therapy alone in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether propranolol can decrease pain symptoms in a common subset of patients admitted to a trauma center after injury.
Tacrolimus (FK506) is an immunosuppressive medication that promotes organ allograft survival. It has also been shown to enhance nerve regeneration and muscle reinnervation in animals but these properties have not previously been studied in patients. Moreover, currently there is no method in clinical use to speed the rate of recovery after nerve injury. The objective of this study is to explore the ability of tacrolimus to benefit the treatment of patients with peripheral nerve injury. To minimize the morbidity of tacrolimus therapy, its phase-specific effects on nerve regeneration and muscle reinnervation will be defined in the murine model to permit further limitation of the duration of therapy. The investigators hypothesize that treatment with tacrolimus after autogenous peripheral nerve reconstruction will accelerate nerve regeneration, reduce the period of denervation and improve muscle reinnervation and recovery in patients with peripheral nerve injury. There are 2 specific aims: 1. Determine the safety and efficacy of tacrolimus following reconstructive nerve surgery in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized pilot clinical trial of patients with severe nerve injuries of the extremities; 2. Correlate the quality of life outcome with assessment of functional recovery after surgical reconstruction of patients with severe peripheral nerve injuries of the extremities.
Rationale: The drug etomidate causes increased mortality if used for continuous sedation in mechanically ventilated patients; however, etomidate continues to be widely used as a single-bolus induction agent for endotracheal intubation because of its favorable hemodynamic properties. Recent data have raised questions regarding the safety of using etomidate for even a single bolus in patients at risk of adrenal insufficiency, emphasizing the fact that single bolus doses of etomidate cause measurable adrenal suppression, and consequently may cause increases in vasopressor requirements and in hospital length of stay. Alternative FDA-approved induction agents, such as midazolam, may be safer than etomidate; however, no studies have formally compared these agents. Research Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that in critically ill trauma patients presenting to the emergency department requiring rapid sequence intubation, the hospital length of stay for patients given etomidate will be greater than for patients given midazolam for induction. Specific Aims: The specific aim is to determine the difference in hospital length of stay between trauma patients given etomidate and those given midazolam for induction during rapid sequence intubation in the emergency department. The investigators plan to compare the two groups in terms of hospital length of hospital stay, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and duration of intubation by performing a prospective, randomized, trial of critically ill trauma patients presenting to the emergency department requiring intubation. The investigators will also compare the mortality rates in these two groups while controlling for severity of illness and the use of steroids while hospitalized. Significance: If the use of etomidate to induce anesthesia prior to intubation adversely affects the hospital length of stay of trauma patients, this length of stay might be reduced in such patients by using alternative agents for induction. Since etomidate is currently in widespread use as an induction agent, the results of this study could have significant implications for patient management.
The purpose of this pilot study is to begin the examination of the feasibility of using Gradual Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy and D-Cycloserine (DCS) in the management of posttraumatic psychological symptoms in burned OIF/OEF military combatants. The purpose of a feasibility study is to determine if there is clinical utility in this proposed treatment and to establish effective and safe treatment procedures. Given current literature, the following hypotheses are generated: Hypothesis 1: Virtual Reality Exposure and D-Cycloserine medication (VRE + DCS learning pill) will result in clinically meaningful PTSD symptom reduction. 1. SMs will attain scores that are lower than initial measures for symptoms of PTSD 2. By the completion of VRE, Ss will attain scores in the sub-clinical range for measures of clinical depression Hypothesis 2: SMs will report greater life satisfaction following completion of VR+DCS treatment, as measured by scores on the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) when compared to pre-treatment scores
The study will explore the neurocognitive effect of four weeks of treatment with amantadine versus placebo in patients with traumatic brain injury using the Interval Bisection Timing Task. Approximately 16 individuals with traumatic brain injury are expected to participate in this study. Subject participation is expected to last up to 8 weeks with 16 study visits.
Traditional modes of ventilation have failed to improve patient survival. Subsequent observations that elevated airway pressures observed in traditional forms of ventilation resulted in barotrauma and extension of ALI lead to the evolution of low volume cycled ventilation as a potentially better ventilatory modality for ARDS. Recent multicenter trials by the NIH-ARDS network have confirmed that low volume ventilation increases the number of ventilatory free days and improves overall patient survival. While reducing mean airway pressure has reduced barotrauma and improved patient survival, it has impaired attempts to improve alveolar recruitment. Alveolar recruitment is important as it improves V/Q mismatch, allows reduction in FIO2 earlier, and decreases the risk of oxygen toxicity. Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a novel ventilatory modality that utilizes controlled positive airway pressure to maximize alveolar recruitment while minimizing barotrauma. In APRV, tidal ventilation occurs between the increase in lung volumes established by the application of CPAP and the relaxation of lung tissue following pressure release. Preliminary studies have suggested that APRV recruits collapsed alveoli and improves oxygenation through a restoration of pulmonary mechanics, but there are no studies indicating the potential overall benefit of APRV in recovery form ALI/ADRS.
It is the belief of the investigators that the current trends in complication rates associated with fixation of pelvic ring injuries and acetabular fractures in the obese are unacceptable. The overwhelming majority of these complications can be attributed to problems with surgical wound healing. The investigators feel that if a cost effective and easily performed intervention can be prospectively utilized in a specific at-risk orthopaedic trauma population in order to control a potentially devastating complication, then efforts in discovering such an intervention may prove valuable. It is our hypothesis that obese patients treated with V.A.C. therapy after standard closure of trauma-related, operative orthopaedic incisions will have fewer postoperative wound complications.