Anesthesia & Memory MRI Research Study
Healthy native English-speaking adults, age 18-39, are being recruited to better determine the effect that anesthetic agents have on memory formation.
Interested subjects must complete a brief visit to undergo memory testing. If your memory performance is above the entry cutoff, you may be enrolled in the study. This involves several visits, including during weekday working hours. Subjects will receive low doses of one or more intravenous anesthetics, while performing memory tasks and experiencing periodic electric shock. Subjects may be paid up to $500 for completing all study visits.
For more detailed information, please email Anesthesiology.Research@pitt.edu.
Effectiveness of Clonidine, Dexmedetomidine, and Fentanyl Adjuncts for Labor Epidural Analgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
We are looking for study participants who are in labor and intending to deliver vaginally and planning to ask for epidural analgesia.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of two medications as adjuvants to a solution for epidural analgesia. Opioids as adjuvants to a local anesthetic solution are currently the standard of care and this combination offers quality analgesia for labor and delivery. Some patients might benefit from an approach where opioids are not used in their epidural perfusion for various reasons. Our study aims to evaluate the efficacy of two other adjuvants to local anesthetics for epidural solution named clonidine and dexmedetomidine. These two molecules can substitute for the opioid in the epidural solution and offer similar properties in terms of analgesia.
If you decide to participate, the research team will be called at the same time as the anesthetist upon your request for epidural analgesia. The technique for initiation of epidural analgesia will be the same, regardless of whether or not you decide to participate in the study. The catheter will be placed by a qualified anesthesiologist upon your request. Your participation involves that you will get a different adjuvant (medication added to the local anesthetic solution) depending on the group you are assigned to.
A person from the research team will come and collect information (blood pressure, heart rate, saturation, pain scores, sedation scores, capacity to move your legs) at various time points. This information will be compiled at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes after epidural initiation and at the time of delivery.
For more information, please call 412-641-2179 during normal business hours
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