Whether intense pain before emergency surgery leads to long-term pain after the operation

Acute Preoperative Pain and Chronic Post-surgical Pain in Emergency Surgery

Not applicable Interventional Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens · NCT06555107

We will test whether people having emergency abdominal or orthopedic surgery who have strong pain before the operation are more likely to have ongoing pain three months afterward.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment693 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorCentre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens Academic / other
Locations1 site (Amiens)
Trial IDNCT06555107 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Adults undergoing emergency abdominal or orthopedic surgery at a single university hospital will report their preoperative pain intensity using a numerical scale. Data will be collected with questionnaires and follow-up phone calls, and outcomes will include the presence of chronic postsurgical pain at three months. Patients requiring postoperative ICU, undergoing ambulatory or endoscopic procedures, or unable to self-report pain are excluded. The study is conducted at CHU Amiens-Picardie with enrollment limited to patients able to consent and communicate in French.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (age ≥18) having emergency orthopedic or abdominal surgery who can give informed consent, communicate in French, self-rate pain, and are affiliated with a social security scheme are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients admitted to postoperative intensive care, having ambulatory or endoscopic procedures, repeat surgery at the same site within three months, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, those with significant psychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders, or those unable to self-report pain are unlikely to benefit from this study's findings.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify patients at higher risk of chronic postsurgical pain so clinicians can target prevention and pain management earlier.

How similar studies have performed: Previous work in scheduled surgery links preoperative pain to worse short-term postoperative pain, but the long-term effects of acute preoperative pain in emergency surgery remain largely untested.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥18 years old.
* Emergency orthopaedic and/or abdominal surgery.
* Informed consent.
* Affiliation to a social security scheme

Exclusion Criteria:

* Intraoperative complications that are life-threatening or require the surgical procedure to be discontinued.
* Post-operative intensive care unit admission.
* Ambulatory surgery.
* Endoscopic surgery.
* Repeat surgery at the same site in less that 3months.
* Pregnant or breast-feeding patients.
* Patients under guardianship or deprived of liberty.
* Patients suffering from psychiatric pathologies.
* Patients suffering from neurodegenerative pathologies.
* Patients for whom self-assessment of pain using a numerical scale (0-10) cannot be carried out (non-communicative patients, non-French-speaking patients, and so on).

Where this trial is running

Amiens

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Chronic Postsurgical PainAcute PainEmergency SurgeryOpioidPostoperative PainRisk Factorsrisk factorsemergency surgery
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.