Matthew Rasberry was undergoing physical therapy at Campbell Clinic to relieve his aching knees when he learned about a clinical trial that sounded intriguing.
Campbell Clinic physician, Santos Martinez, MD, was leading a Food and Drug Administration-funded study of a treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Rasberry, having battered his knees through years of playing soccer, enrolled in the 2016 trial, hoping to get a free X-ray, MRI and learn more about his knees. “It seemed there was very little downside and potentially very high upside,” said Rasberry, a veteran of three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions.
That study was among a growing number of clinical trials that Campbell Clinic physicians conduct each year in hopes of finding ways to improve their overall care of patients. “Research can affect our patients’ quality of life, so it’s really important,” said Dr. Frederick Azar, Chief of Staff of Campbell Clinic. We don’t make scientific advances without research.”
During the last 15 years, a concerted effort to step up staff-driven research has resulted in approximately 150 clinical trials being conducted each year.
“We transitioned from performing retrospective record reviews to conducting prospective, randomized clinical trials that are initiated by our staff,” said Margaret Knack, Research Manager at Campbell Clinic Foundation. “We went from doing simple studies to ones that can have a greater impact on patient care and patient outcomes. We’ve also increased participation in national and international study groups and conduct collaborative studies with other institutions.”
Collaboration and sharing data are especially beneficial when a clinical study isn’t large enough to provide an adequate sample size at a single institution. These multi-center studies produce a statistically significant result and greater study impact.
Some of Campbell Clinic’s research studies have resulted in better pain management. For example, a six-month study of 400 patients with shoulder pain, led by Quin Throckmorton, MD, found that one steroid medication actually increased the pain temporarily, so thanks to this research, use has since been discontinued.
Currently, William Mihalko, MD is leading an FDA-funded study to examine the occurrence of metal hypersensitivity in patients who have had a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Implants and tissue specimens will be retrieved from patients who are having a revision TKA to determine if their persistent pain is related to an autoimmune response to the metal in the implant. The goal is to predict which patients are likely to react to cobalt-chromium implants and substitute titanium ones instead.
Rasberry, 35, has signed up to participate in an investigator-initiated clinical trial led by Marcus Ford, MD, comparing use of oral Tranexamic Acid (TXA) versus placebo among TKA patients in the early postoperative period.
Rasberry shared, “We need more of these studies so we can increase the knowledge of what works and doesn’t work. If I had known sooner about cadaver cartilage implants, I might have done that before my knee was too far gone.”
Dr. Ford performed a TKA on Rasberry’s right knee last June. “Today, it’s fantastic,” Rasberry said. “I can go on my morning walks without any pain. I can crawl and chase my one-year-old daughter around, which was the main reason I got my knee done. I want to be able to play with her without any limitations.”