NCT06735261

Sphenopalatine Block in Headache in Patients With Non-traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Sphenopalatine Block in Headache in Patients With Non-traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) After Training of Neurosurgical Intensive Care Nurses.

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 70 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Hospital, Grenoble · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Non-traumatic SAH, linked in 85% of cases to the rupture of an intracranial aneurysm, is a serious stroke affecting young people. Half of all survivors suffer cognitive impairment. The presentation is that of a sudden-onset, isolated headache. This population is exposed to headache during hospitalization, which lasts an average of 13 days. This length of hospitalization is due to the fact that these patients must be monitored during the potential vasospasm period that occurs between days 4 and 14 after SAH. The pain associated with SAH is a source of discomfort and increased morphine consumption during the ICU stay, particularly during the first 10 days. Current recommendations call for conventional pain management with a combination of tier 1, 2 and/or 3 analgesics. For headache control, opioids are widely prescribed, sometimes in high doses, with adverse effects, despite efforts to reduce their use. Maximum headache pain scores remain high, indicating inadequate pain management. This highlights the urgent need to study alternative opioid-sparing and analgesia strategies for patients with SAH.

Detailed description

Sphenopalatine block is already used for certain types of facial and cranial pain, and could help save morphine consumption during hospitalization. The sphenopalatine ganglion is a crossroads for parasympathetic, sympathetic and sensory pathways. Recently studied in post-puncture dural breaches with promising results, sphenopalatine ganglion block (SPGN) may appear as an interesting alternative therapy in the treatment of SAH headaches. Other advantages of this block are its simplicity, efficacy and the absence of any noticeable adverse effects at the time it is performed. What's more, it is already used routinely in our department, with rapid and effective action. The hypothesis of the trial would be to reduce morphine consumption by at least 50% for patients benefiting from BGSP, for better neurological monitoring and optimal overall pain management in SAH.

Conditions

• Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Adult Patients

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block using 2% lidocaine	A hollow-stem swab soaked in viscous Xylocaine is inserted into the patient's nasal cavity (one swab per nostril) until it stops. 1.5ml Lidocaine 20% (20mg/ml) is injected into each swab using a 5ml syringe and a pink trocar. Both swabs are left in place for 10 min.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-04-01
• Primary completion: 2027-08-31
• Completion: 2027-12-31
• First posted: 2024-12-16
• Last updated: 2025-03-28