All Clinical Trials in Canada

Total hip and knee replacements (TJR) for osteoarthritis are common orthopaedic procedures performed in Canada. Waits for these procedures are already common and lengthy, and the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the further of delay of thousands of scheduled TJRs. Longer wait times for TJR can be associated with increased pain and functional disability, and up to 80% of patients awaiting TJR use opioids for pain management. Further, pre-operative pain, functional disability and opioid use has been linked to worse recovery and continued opioid abuse post-operatively. Interestingly, some clinical studies have shown that not all patients experience a deterioration in symptoms while on the waitlist for TJR, and a longer wait time is not always associated with poor post-operative outcomes. However, there is insufficient evidence surrounding the relationships between wait time, patient characteristics, and outcomes both prior to and following hip or knee replacement. The Investigators aim to establish a large prospective cohort of patients with osteoarthritis waiting for TJR with key research questions and the overarching objectives of identifying which patients deteriorate while on the waitlist, and how wait time affects patient-important outcomes following surgery. The study will enroll 3008 patients awaiting TJR at 10 Centres from across Canada. All participating site investigators are fellowship trained Orthopaedic surgeons, working in acute care facilities with active research programs and dedicated research staff. The study will follow the patients from their waitlist enrolment up to two years post-operatively. During this time, the research team will collect pain, function, opioid use, and quality of life measures at regular intervals. In addition, an economic analysis will be conducted to determine the impact of length of time on a waitlist on patient and healthcare system costs. The data will highlight the consequences of long waits for patients undergoing TJR, information that will improve patient care and provide insight for refining wait list policies. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate whether or not adding a Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (TAP block) improves pain control for patients having a cesarean section. A TAP block is a type of nerve block where at the end of the surgery an injection of a long acting local anesthetic is made into the abdominal wall. In studies in patient's having other abdominal surgeries this has reduced the amount of narcotics patients need for pain control. This may also led to patients being more active after surgery and maybe spending less time in hospital. Read Less

Negative experiences with healthcare prior to referral to early intervention services for psychosis (EIS) have been linked to poor engagement and clinical outcomes. Recent research indicates that young adults who come to EIS services thru emergency departments, urgent care, or inpatient services have significantly greater rates of future use of these services as well as more negative perceptions of EIS and diminished engagement in treatment compared to young adults referred to EIS by other pathways. These findings suggest a need for additional support to be provided to EIS patients, especially those with prior negative healthcare experiences, to maximize treatment engagement and outcomes. A recent USA-based trial of a brief intervention addressing barriers to disengagement (Just Do You), including prior negative healthcare experiences, showed promise in improving engagement and recovery. This project seeks to adapt and evaluate the Just Do You intervention to a young adult early psychosis population in Nova Scotia. The investigators aim to recruit young adults from the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program to engage in 2 psychotherapy/psychoeducation sessions co-led by a clinician and peer support worker. Following the intervention, the investigators will measure improvements in participants' engagement and recovery to determine the effectiveness of the program. Outcomes between participants with negative prior healthcare experiences and those without will be compared to assess differential impact of the intervention for high-risk sub-groups. This project has the potential to improve patients' engagement in EIS care and enhance recovery outcomes for young adults. Read Less

* Improving patient comfort and implementing the protocols required to minimize the risk of RAO must be part of quality control. * Several procedural parameters are related to the risk of RAO but hemostasis is a critical period. * Despite the fact that non-occlusive hemostasis of the radial artery is a recognized and effective technique for reducing the risk of RAO, it is rarely practiced because it is tedious, involves additional care and is not always effective with current hemostasis systems. * Prophylactic compression of the cubital artery during radial artery hemostasis has been shown to be effective in maintaining non-occlusive hemostasis but requires 2 devices and does not simplify care procedures. * The Terry2™ band is a new dual device that offers effortless non-occlusive radial hemostasis and does not require repeated intervention by nursing staff. The primary objectives of this observational study are to demonstrate the benefits, safety and impact on care of using Terry2™ band in patients undergoing diagnostic or interventional catheterization by radial (or ulnar) approach. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to find out whether the study drug, LY3537982, is safe and effective in cancer patients who have a specific genetic mutation (KRAS G12C). Patients must have already received or were not able to tolerate the standard of care, except for specific groups who have not had cancer treatment. The study will last up to approximately 4 years. Read Less

The purpose of the PAUSE-Virtual Study is to show that by changing pre-surgery visits with patients taking a blood thinner (direct oral anticoagulant (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, rivaroxaban or warfarin) when the participant requires elective surgery, using a standard, in-person proven approach, to a virtual visit, either telephone or video conference, is as safe. Patients who are receiving a blood thinner for the medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (AF) and require an elective surgery/procedure, is common. These patients have to stop taking their blood thinner for a certain time before the procedure to reduce serious complications of stroke or bleeding. For doctors who help manage these patients before a procedure, appointments have been traditionally done in-person. Patients receive instructions about when to stop and restart their blood thinners and taught how to self-administrator a short acting blood thinner (heparin) if needed. The COVID pandemic changed the way these appointments were done, making it important to contact these patients without them having to come to the hospital for an in person visit. Virtual patient care, by telephone or video conference, to communicate to patients about when to start and restart their blood thinner was necessary. This study wants to show that this virtual method of instruction, using a standardized plan of managing patient care, is easy, acceptable to patients and as safe when compared to an in-person meeting. Such instruction would also be cost-efficient standard post-pandemic. Prior work has shown that both a standard care of patients who are receiving blood thinners and a point-of-care decision "app", available through Thrombosis Canada (www.thrombosiscanada.ca) website, have been trusted during this virtual visit successfully. The investigator will show, by following up at 30 days, that this standardized management plan is safe and can be done virtually, with a low risk of stroke and major bleeding. Read Less

: Patient readmission to PICU is a major point of concern for physicians because, although being a rare event, it has been strongly associated with more morbidity and death. Patient monitoring once they have left the PICU is drastically modified, and small connected devices could be an option to early identify patients at risk of PICU readmission. Such devices have been manufactured for the recording of vital signs in adults, but they do not exist for children. Besides, studies have recently shown that devices that use optical sensors may be less accurate in individuals with dark skin pigmentation since dark skin tones impose a limitation on optical biometric sensing. The wearable and medical device industry has not sufficiently addressed this issue yet. This is one of the main challenges that need to be addressed in this area to make sure the connected devices using this technology will work with all different skin colours including very dark skin. Read Less

This study will determine the acceptability of delivering seated exercises online and if seated exercises can improve balance, mobility, quality of life, and cardiometabolic health in those living with a stroke related mobility impairment. Participants will be allocated to either a 10-week seated exercise program or a delayed 2-week Boot Camp program. All seated exercises sessions and assessments will be conducted virtually. Read Less

The Pain and Irritability of Unknown Origin (PIUO) Pathway is a clinical pathway that was developed to evaluate and manage unexplained pain and irritability for children with severe neurological impairments (SNI) who cannot verbally communicate 'where it hurts'. The investigators studied the usefulness of the Pathway with families and expert clinicians in 4 centres across Canada. The aim of this Phase 2 study is to determine whether this tool can transfer from hospital research centres into the community. The Pathway will be used by community pediatricians across British Columbia (BC) when they see patients with PIUO. The investigators want to know how well these pediatricians can follow the Pathway. The goal is to create a systematic, cohesive approach to enhance the clinical care for all children with complex medical needs experiencing PIUO. Read Less

Patients with chronic respiratory disease may be prescribed oxygen therapy. Currently, the dose of oxygen flow is fixed (FixedO2) depending on activity level i.e. rest, physical activity and sleep. Automated Titration of Oxygen (AutoO2) is a closed-loop system in which the oxygen flow to the patient is continuously machine adjusted to meet the patient's immediate needs on the basis of signals from pulse oximetry (SpO2). The purpose of this study is to examine if automated oxygen control based on pulse oximetry provided to participants is superior to prescribed fixed oxygen flow in keeping SpO2 within the intended target interval of 92 to 96% arterial oxygen saturation. Read Less

Following a mastectomy, patients may develop chronic pain, called post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS). This syndrome manifests itself as complex neuropathic pain that seems linked to nerve damage suffered either during surgery, during healing or by nervous system dysfunction. However, the exact pathophysiology remains unknown. Typically, the pain is located on the ipsilateral side of the surgery and projects to the anterior thorax to the lateral thorax and may affect the proximal part of the arm. This pain persists for more than three months following the procedure and has the characteristics of neuropathic pain: burning sensation, tingling, electric shock, hyperalgesia, etc. The prevalence of PMDS varies between 2% and 78%; this disparity comes from the fact that there are no clear criteria in the literature for making the diagnosis. One of the risk factors for developing PMDS is the presence of acute pain immediately postoperatively. The main objective of this study is to compare two analgesic modalities, namely BPV (study modality) and usual analgesia (control modality), in patients undergoing total mastectomy with immediate reconstruction under general anesthesia with the aim of to evaluate their functional pain score at 24, 48 and 72 hours following the surgical procedure. Read Less

Despite improvements in treatments, head and neck cancer survivors (HNCS) still endure acute and chronic side effects such as loss of muscular strength, limitations in physical functioning, fatigue, and swallowing difficulties that impact quality of life (QoL) and limit return to work. Light-to-moderate intensity strength training (LMST) has been shown to improve some side effects. Heavy lifting strength training (HLST) may further improve outcomes in some populations, however, only one small pilot study has focused on HNCS. The LIFTING 2 trial will be the first to examine the feasibility and effects of a HLST program versus no exercise in HNCS. Read Less