Morphine or Ketamine for Analgesia

Starting soon · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Abdominal Pain, Isolated Extremity Fracture, Pain, Pediatrics

In brief

Pain is common in children presenting to the emergency department but is frequently undertreated, leading to both short- and long-term consequences. Morphine is the standard treatment for children with moderate to severe acute pain, but its use is associated with serious side effects and caregiver and clinician concerns related to opioid administration. The investigators aim to determine if sub-dissociative ketamine is non-inferior to morphine for treating acute pain and a preferable alternative for treating acute pain in children because of its more favorable side effect profile and potential long-term benefits related to pain-related function, analgesic use/misuse, and mental and behavioral health outcomes.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06835504

Run by

Columbia University

People needed

1010

Starts

2026-09-01

Expected to finish

2030-02-28

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-09

Who can join

Age: 6 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Abdominal pain or isolated long-bone extremity fracture (suspected or proven)
• Self-reported pain score of ≥ 6/10
• Requires IV morphine for analgesia as determined by the treating physician

You may not qualify if…

• Weight > 82.4 kg
• Known allergy/contraindication to morphine or ketamine
• Antecedent receipt of ketamine related to presenting complaint
• Inability to use self-report measures of pain or questionnaires
• Chronic disease associated with pain
• Chronic pain condition requiring use of opioids as outpatient
• Hemodynamic instability or critical illness per treating physician
• Altered mental state (e.g., GCS , 14 or clinical intoxication)
• Known history of schizophrenia, liver or kidney problems, or osteogenesis imperfecta
• Concern for open fracture, neurovascular compromise, or compartment syndrome
• Injuries in addition to the extremity injury (e.g., head, neck, abdomen)
• Known or reported pregnancy
• Does not speak English or Spanish
• Patient previously enrolled in this study
• Wards of state, foster children, or children in custody

Where it is running

• Children's Hospital Los Angeles — Los Angeles, California, United States
• UC Davis Children's Hospital — Sacramento, California, United States
• Nemours Children's Hospital — Wilmington, Delaware, United States
• Arthur M. Blank Hospital — Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• NewYork Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital — New York, New York, United States
• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Seattle Children's Hospital — Seattle, Washington, United States
• Children's Wisconsin — Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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