Acupuncture and Post-Surgical Wound Healing

This study is currently recruiting participants.

     Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine if acupuncture improves wound healing. The prospective, randomized, controlled pilot study examines the effects of acupuncture on surgical site complications in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The participating investigators at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) are aware that the amount of oxygen that gets delivered to tissue is the best predictor of how well a wound will heal and are therefore measuring changes in tissue oxygen of wounds before and after acupuncture treatments. The UCSF Wound Healing Laboratory has solidified two specific observations. The first observation was that without adequate oxygen delivery, many processes of wound healing cannot proceed normally-particularly resistance to infection, collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Secondly, hypoxic conditions are unfortunately common in chronic and acute wounds, which often result from subcutaneous vasoconstriction. Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activators and other vasoconstrictors have been shown to produce wound hypoxia. Activation of the SNS by any means, including pain and anxiety will cause vasoconstriction in addition to impairing oxygen delivery. Numerous preliminary studies have shown that acupuncture decreases SNS activation, pain, and anxiety. Additionally, there is evidence that acupuncture enhances circulation of blood. The investigators therefore hypothesize that acupuncture will facilitate wound healing.

     Location: University of California, San Francisco

     Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

     Principle investigator: Harriet W. Hopf, MD, University of California, San Francisco

     Identifier: NCT00260494

Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin Compared to Placebo for Treatment of Post-Surgical Pain From Hysterectomy

This study is currently recruiting participants.

     Summary: The purpose of this interventional, treatment, randomized, double blind study is to assess the efficacy of pregabalin compared to placebo on pain following hysterectomy, measured using subject reported assessments of pain. In order to be eligible for this study, female participants must be 25-70 years of age. Inclusion criteria consist of the following: participants will have elective total abdominal hysterectomy using a transverse incision with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy; the total hysterectomy may however be cervix sparing; the participants are expected to remain in the hospital or immediate care facility for a minimum of 2 days following surgery; and each participant's preoperative health is graded as the American Society of Anesthesiologist P1 to P2. The study's exclusion criteria consist of the following: participants having vaginal hysterectomy (whether laparoscopically assisted or not); participants having additional procedures (such as those involving the bladder) at the same time as the total abdominal hysterectomy; the use of nerve block, spinal anesthesia or epidural anesthesia for post-surgical pain control; participants who have been using any opioid medications 2 weeks or more continuously within 3 months prior to the screening visit; and the participant has taken any NSAID or any analgesic other than acetaminophen within 3 days prior to surgery or is unwilling to abstain from NSAIDs or other analgesics, except as specified in the protocol during the study.