U of U Health Part of National Study Comparing Fentanyl, Ketamine in Treating Trauma Pain

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Fentanyl and ketamine are going head to head in a new trial for trauma pain relief.

The study will examine which drug provides better pain relief with fewer side effects for injured patients before they reach the hospital.

The study, known as the Prehospital Analgesia Intervention Trial (PAIN), will be led by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Utah Health and is one of nine health systems across the country that will participate.

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Salt Lake City Fire EMTs, along with Park City and Summit County, will soon be equipped with both drugs to administer, via IV, in the field for trauma patients that will be sent to the U of U system.

EMTs must first determine the patient is in shock from a trauma.

“Looking at these drugs very carefully should give us a lot of good information,” said Dr. Scott Youngquist, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Utah Health, medical director for the Salt Lake City Fire Department and a principal investigator for the study.

The study will use fentanyl, a synthetic opioid commonly used for trauma pain relief, and ketamine, an anesthetic also used to treat pain.

“There are risks associated with any drug, for sure. The risks increase with the dose, and so this one is focused on the very lowest dose of ketamine possible,” Youngquist said.

The three-year study hopes to enroll 1,000 patients, including roughly 36 from Utah. Half of the patients in the study will receive fentanyl, and half will receive ketamine.

“We’ll be tracking all those things to make sure patients are achieving pain relief without significant side effects for both drugs,” Youngquist said.

Once patients arrive at the hospital, they will be notified about the study and have the option to opt-out.

Medical experts say ketamine has lower addictive properties than opioids and is increasingly used in low doses for pain management.

“When we have the opportunity to evaluate something like ketamine against an opioid, that’s a great step in the right direction,” said Christina Zidow, chief operating officer of Odyssey House.

She noted that one in five people who use prescribed opioids become addicted.

“If we can curb that addiction from a medication we know is lethal, that sounds like a huge win,” Zidow said.

Youngquist said the study is scheduled to start in October or November.

The health system has stated a public awareness campaign giving people the chance to opt-out of the study before it begins.

To opt-out, call 1-800-664-0557, email PAINstudy@edc.pitt.edu, or fill out the form at the bottom of www.LITESnetwork.org/PAIN.

You can find more information about the study at PAIN - LITES Network. There’s a U of U Health community questionnaire here: Community Questionnaire: Prehospital Analgesia Intervention Trial (PAIN)

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