ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07227649Updated Jul 17, 2026

NAC-REPAIR for Post-surgical Pain

A Phase 2 interventional study of NAC and NAC 0mg/day (Placebo) in Carpal Tunnel Surgery, Trigger Finger Disorder and De Quervain Syndrome, sponsored by University of Arizona. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-17.

Sponsored by University of Arizona · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This pilot asks whether peri-operative N-acetylcysteine (NAC) improves recovery after common outpatient hand/foot-ankle surgery-specifically, does NAC reduce pain and opioid use and enhance function by modulating redox-inflammatory pathways? Primary objectives are to establish feasibility (accrual, adherence, follow-up), estimate NAC vs placebo effects on pain, function, and opioid consumption, and characterize inflammatory signatures that may predict response.

Methods: a single-site, double-blind, 1:1 randomized trial (N≈80) comparing NAC 1,200 mg twice daily for 14 days (starting pre-op) vs matching placebo; daily e-diaries for POD0-14; standardized outcomes (PROMIS Pain Interference; QuickDASH or FAAM; PGIC; opioid MME); and small blood draws pre-surgery and at two follow-up visits for cytokine profiling.

02

Conditions studied

  • Carpal Tunnel Surgery
  • Trigger Finger Disorder
  • De Quervain Syndrome
  • Guyon's Canal
  • Dupuytren Contracture
  • Morton Neuroma
  • Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Plantar Fasciopathy
  • Peroneal Nerve Entrapment
03

In context

Trigger Finger Disorder

93 studies on the registry are indexed under Trigger Finger Disorder; 22 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 80 is above the median of 66 across 75 interventional studies indexed under Trigger Finger Disorder.

Browse Trigger Finger Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Arizona is the lead sponsor of 476 studies on the registry; 88 are open to participants now.

Of its 51 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 30 (59%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Elective outpatient hand/upper-extremity or foot/ankle surgery (single site; same-day discharge)
  • Baseline visit feasible ≤14 days pre-op
  • Can complete surveys/blood draw
  • Provides
  • Willing to follow dosing schedule and avoid restricted supplements/meds

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Allergy to NAC/capsule components □ NAC or high-dose antioxidants in past 14 days (unwilling to stop)
  • Chronic daily opioids ≥3 months or OUD/maintenance therapy □ Pregnant/breastfeeding or no as applicable
  • Daily nitrates (nitroglycerin/isosorbide) □ Planned >24h admission, multistage/trauma case □ Other interventional study within 30 days
  • Unable to swallow capsules / malabsorption surgery affecting oral meds
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

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Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

    Intervention: Oral N-acetylcysteine capsules, 600 mg twice daily. Timing/Duration: Begin the evening before surgery (≤24 h pre-op) and continue through Post-op Day 14 (total 15 days; bottle overfilled to cover missed doses). Administration: Self-administered at home; counseling at baseline dispense; pill diary + pill counts. Concomitant care: All peri-operative care per standard of care (SoC), including multimodal analgesia; no high-dose antioxidant supplements; nitrates excluded. Objective: Test whether peri-operative NAC improves early pain, function, and recovery via redox-immune modulation.

    Drug: NAC

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Intervention: Matched inert capsules (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose), identical in size/appearance/labeling to NAC. Timing/Duration: 600 mg-equivalent capsule count, twice daily, evening before surgery through Post-op Day 14. Administration: Same counseling, diary, and adherence checks as NAC arm. Concomitant care: Identical SoC allowances/restrictions as NAC arm.

    Drug: NAC 0mg/day (Placebo)

Interventions

  • DrugNAC

    Intervention: Oral N-acetylcysteine capsules, 600 mg twice daily. Timing/Duration: Begin the evening before surgery (≤24 h pre-op) and continue through Post-op Day 14 (total 15 days; bottle overfilled to cover missed doses). Administration: Self-administered at home; counseling at baseline dispense; pill diary + pill counts. Concomitant care: All peri-operative care per standard of care (SoC), including multimodal analgesia; no high-dose antioxidant supplements; nitrates excluded. Objective: Test whether peri-operative NAC improves early pain, function, and recovery via redox-immune modulation.

  • DrugNAC 0mg/day (Placebo)

    Intervention: Matched inert capsules (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose), identical in size/appearance/labeling to NAC. Timing/Duration: 600 mg-equivalent capsule count, twice daily, evening before surgery through Post-op Day 14. Administration: Same counseling, diary, and adherence checks as NAC arm. Concomitant care: Identical SoC allowances/restrictions as NAC arm. Randomization/Blinding: 1:1, stratified by surgery type (upper- vs lower-extremity); double-blind (participants, investigators, assessors). Primary comparisons: Early postoperative pain and function (e.g., PROMIS-PI/PF, QuickDASH or LEFS), opioid consumption; safety/tolerability.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. PROMIS pain interference

    Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System - Pain Interference T-score metric: mean = 50, SD = 10 Higher scores = worse outcome (greater pain interference with daily activities, social, cognitive, emotional, and physical functioning)

    Time frame: baseline; post-op (2-4 weeks); post-op (12 weeks);

Secondary outcomes

  1. PROMIS Physical Function

    Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Function T-score metric: mean = 50, SD = 10 Higher scores = better outcome (greater ability to carry out physical activities such as mobility, self-care, and instrumental activities)

    Time frame: Baseline; post-op (2-4 weeks); post-op (12 weeks)

  2. Numeric Pain Rating Scale

    0-10: 0 = no pain, 10 = worst imaginable Higher scores = worse outcome (greater perceived pain intensity)

    Time frame: Baseline; post-op (2-4 weeks); post-op (12 weeks)

07

Study locations

1 site
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07227649
Collaborators
Banner University Medical Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 13, 2025
Start date
Oct 15, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jan 15, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 15, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 17, 2026

Study contacts

Valerio Tonelli Enrico, PT, PhD, MSCE
Contact
vte@arizona.edu
17068097067

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Acetylcysteine

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