NCT07365800

The MDK Study: Using a Combination of Methadone-dexmedetomidine-ketamine for Postoperative Pain Control in Patients Undergoing Complex Spine Surgeries.

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 248 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Missouri-Columbia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 79 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will investigate whether a combination of three anesthetic medications will reduce intraoperative and postoperative pain in patients undergoing complex spine surgery, and whether it will reduce the use of opioid pain medication after surgery.

Detailed description

Dexmedetomidine, methadone and ketamine offer benefits when used as adjuncts in complex spine surgeries. Dexmedetomidine is reported to attenuate intraoperative stress responses without interfering with neuromonitoring while potentially improving postoperative pain control and reducing opioid consumption in complex spine surgery. Methadone use intraoperatively improves postoperative pain control and reduced opioid requirements following complex spine surgery. Consensus guidelines from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists support the use of ketamine in acute pain management in surgeries like spine surgery. Perioperative ketamine use in spine surgery results in lower pain scores and reduced opioid utilization postoperatively. The use of dexmedetomidine, methadone and ketamine as adjuncts may improve postoperative pain control while reducing opioid requirements, lowering stress responses, and without significantly impacting neuromonitoring in complex spine surgery or increasing drug related adverse events.

Conditions

• Spine Surgery

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Methadone-dexmedetomidine-ketamine combination	Combination of Methadone-dexmedetomidine-ketamine administered during spine surgery for intra- and post-operative pain management.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-02
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2027-06-01
• First posted: 2026-01-26
• Last updated: 2026-01-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study