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Perioperative Dexmedetomidine to Reduce Post-procedure Grief Following Second-trimester Dilation and Evacuation

NCT07537894 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 100

Last updated 2026-04-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

People seeking second-trimester dilation and evacuation (D\&E) procedures are often facing profoundly challenging circumstances, including desired pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies or demise, serious maternal health conditions, or changes in financial or relationship status. Although abortion regret is uncommon, the emotional burden surrounding these experiences is substantial: many patients experience significant grief and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the weeks to months following care. Perioperative interventions that decrease the body's stress response offer a promising opportunity to reduce downstream psychologic morbidity. Dexmedetomidine has been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms in other high-stress medical and surgical settings. The investigators are undertaking a randomized trial to evaluate whether perioperative administration of dexmedetomidine during second-trimester D\&E can reduce the frequency and severity of post-procedural grief, directly addressing an unmet need in patient-centered, trauma-informed abortion care.

Conditions

  • Abortion
  • Stillbirth
  • PTSD (Childbirth-Related)
  • Grief (Traumatic Grief and Existential Grief)

Interventions

DRUG

Dexmedetomidine (IV) 0.5 mcg/kg

Infusion of dexmedetomidine 0.5ug/kg over 10 minutes at anesthesia induction

DRUG

Placebo

Saline infusion at equal volume to intervention arm

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-07-31
Primary Completion
2027-07-31
Completion
2028-07-31
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Drugs
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07537894 on ClinicalTrials.gov