Randomized Study of an Analgesic Device Enabling Local Anesthetic Delivery and Neuromodulation After Shoulder/Foot Surgery

Postoperative pain remains undertreated with inadequate analgesic options. Opioids have well-known limitations for both individuals and society; single-injection and continuous peripheral nerve blocks provide intense analgesia but are limited in duration to 24-72 hours; and current neuromodulation options-with a duration measured in weeks and not hours-are prohibitively expensive and require an additional procedure. One possible solution is a device currently under investigation to treat postoperative pain. The RELAY system (Gate Science, Moultonborough, New Hampshire) is comprised of a basic catheter-over-needle device to allow administration of a single-injection of local anesthetic via the needle (or catheter) followed by a perineural local anesthetic infusion via the remaining catheter (when desired). Subsequent to the local anesthetic administration, instead of removing the catheter as with all previous continuous peripheral nerve block equipment, electric current may be delivered via the same catheter and an integrated pulse generator for up to 28 days. This is potentially revolutionary because it would allow an anesthesiologist to deliver (1) a single-injection peripheral nerve block; (2) a continuous peripheral nerve block; and (3) neuromodulation using a single device that can theoretically be placed in the same amount of time required for a single-injection peripheral nerve block. Instead of providing fewer than 24 hours of postoperative analgesia, up to 28 days of pain control could be delivered without disruption of existing practice patterns. The ultimate objective of the proposed investigation is to investigate the post-operative analgesic potential of this investigational device and prepare for a pivotal multicenter clinical trial.