Intranasal Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade as a Non-invasive, Opioid-sparing Treatment for Headaches Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

What this Trial Is About

Severe headaches are a common and difficult-to-treat symptom for patients suffering from bleeding caused by a brain aneurysm, known as aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Standard pain medications often have side effects like sedation, breathing issues, and risk of addiction, and they may not control pain well. Researchers are studying a new approach that involves blocking a nerve bundle called the sphenopalatine ganglion by spraying a numbing medication into the back of the nasal cavity to see if it can reduce headache pain without the usual side effects. In this study, all patients will receive standard pain medication as needed. The new treatment using lidocaine delivered via a Tx 360 device will be sprayed into the back of both sides of the nasal cavity on the first day and again three days later. Researchers will track patients' pain levels and the amount of other pain medication used before and after this nasal treatment to evaluate its effect. The study aims to find out if this treatment decreases headache pain and reduces the need for opioids. Participants will be closely monitored with pain assessments every eight hours starting on the day of consent through discharge from the intensive care unit, usually about two weeks. Six months after leaving the hospital, patients will be contacted by phone to learn about their headache pain since discharge. The study measures headache severity over time and opioid use during hospitalization to understand the treatment's impact and safety.

Intranasal Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blockade for Headaches Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage