Clinical trials

The goal of this observational study spanning over three years is to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a co-designed, care bundle on intravascular access device (IVAD) quality and nurses and anaesthesiologist knowledge of IVADs best practices, at an intervention hospital compare to care as usual the a control hospital. Additional aims are to: 1. translate and validate a tool for identifying patients with difficult vein access within the Swedish healthcare context, 2. to evaluate the implementation related to its feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and cost-effectiveness. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the implementation of evidence-based practices improve the quality of IVADs care, e.g. thrombophlebitis/phlebitis, extravasation, infiltration, dislodgement and increase register nurses and anaesthesiologists' knowledge of IVADs best practices? * Does the intervention bridge barriers to successful implementation and support routinization of evidence-based practices. * Which factors influence the implementation in terms of feasibility, acceptability, cost-effectiveness and compatibility with professionals' existing values and clinical workflows?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with high rates of psychiatric comorbidity, particularly anxiety and depressive disorders, which contribute to significant impairment for affected youth and their families. Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended as a first-line treatment for anxiety and depression in children and adolescents, there is a lack of evidence-based interventions specifically adapted for youth with ASD and co-occurring emotional disorders. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/UP-A) is a CBT-based intervention targeting shared mechanisms underlying anxiety and depression. A parent-mediated adaptation, the Unified Protocol-Adolescent Autism Parent Group (UP-A-AST), has been developed to address the specific needs of adolescents with ASD and co-occurring anxiety and/or depressive disorders. Preliminary quality improvement work has shown promising results. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the UP-A-AST Parent Group in a child and adolescent outpatient psychiatric setting. The study will include parents of adolescents aged 12-17 years with ASD and co-occurring anxiety and/or depressive disorders. Outcomes include changes in adolescents' psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment, as well as parents' perceived parenting competence. Additionally, parents' experiences of participating in the intervention will be explored.

Right ventricular failure (RVF) is a common complication to cardiac surgery, which is associated to mortality, kidney failure, stroke, prolonged mechanical ventilation and ICU stay. The right ventricle is particularly vulnerable to an increased afterload. By increasing pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), atelectasis might mitigate a negative effect on the right ventricle. Recruitment maneuvers have been shown to resolve atelectasis and improve hemodynamics by increasing cardiac output and lowering PVR. However these maneuvers transiently raise airway pressures, which in turn increases right ventricular afterload, a situation often poorly tolerated by patients with RVF. Prone position is used in patients with respiratory failure and has been shown to decrease mortality in patients with ARDS. Prone position decreases atelectasis and moves ventilation dorsally. In ARDS it also seems to mediate beneficial hemodynamic effects such as an increase in cardiac output and a decrease in PVR. The investigators hypothesis is that prone position early after cardiac surgery will increase cardiac output by recruitment of atelectasis and thereby decrease PVR.

The goal of this double-blind parallel-arm randomized controlled trial is to learn if a probiotic supplement (containing a new strain derived from L. reuteri) alters outcomes related to symptom severity and transit time in adults with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The main question it aims to answer is: Does the probiotic alter IBS symptom severity? Researchers will compare the probiotic to a placebo (a lookalike substance that contains no probiotic) to see if the probiotic works to alter outcomes. Participants will: Be randomized to either take the probiotic supplement or placebo supplement daily for 12 weeks. Visit the lab for 4 study visits (visit 1: screening and informed consent; visit 2: randomization, data collection, beginning the intervention; visit 3: end of intervention and data collection; visit 4: 3 month post intervention follow up and data collection). Provide biological samples (blood, stool, saliva, urine) Complete questionnaires

Pancreatic surgery is the only treatment in the multimodality approach to pancreatic cancer sine qua non long-term survival cannot be achieved. Pancreatectomy with vein resection (PVR) of the portal vein and the superior mesenteric vein (PV/SMV) to address tumors with venous infiltration has become standard of care in pancreatic surgery for the past 20 years. Larger series and meta-analyses show that long-term survival beyond the 5-year threshold can be achieved with PVR, but with somewhat inferior survivor compared to standard pancreatic resections without venous resection. That is most likely due to the fact that tumors necessitating PVR are generally larger, less differentiated, and more likely to express unfavourable features such as perineural infiltration. Recent publications point out that PVR can be performed in pancreatic centers around the world with comparable morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the countries' income status. Also, benchmark outcomes for PVR in low-risk patients have been established, defining that the accepted risk for venous thrombosis should be lower than 14% at discharge. Despite that, a questionnaire among expert surgeons reveals that even if PVR is considered a standard procedure, surgeons are still concerned about significant morbidity. Also, the perception as to what proportion of patients require venous resection, how it should be performed and what anti-thrombotic prophylaxis should be given varies widely. The reported morbidity and thrombosis rates after different types of venous resections and reconstructions vary from under 2 to over 25%. There is no consensus as to which type of venous reconstruction is associated with most favourable short- and long-term outcomes, what specific surgical manoeuvres and graft materials decrease the overall complication and the vein-resection specific complications rates and what anti-thrombotic prophylaxis is safest (associated with lowest thrombosis rates and bleeding complications). Although some studies suggest that grafts are associated with higher thrombosis rates, there is no profound investigation as to how to avoid the use of grafts or, if necessary, what grafts are associated with least thrombotic risks while not causing increased patient morbidity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate different technical manoeuvres, anti-thrombotic prophylaxis strategies and organisational features in a large cohort of patients undergoing PVR in median and large-volume centers in order to assess which factors contribute to vein resection-related specific morbidity. The study design is an international multi-center observational cohort study, with retrospective and prospective part, including patients who underwent pancreatic surgery with PV/SMV resection from 2018 to June 30 th 2025 and prospectively 18 months ahead. Perioperative factors, related to technical decisions, perioperative resuscitation, institutional organisational specificities, and anti-thrombotic prophylaxis, associated with increased risk for early (30-day), intermediate 30 days-6 months and late venous thrombosis (\>6months) will be analysed. The thrombosis rate among the four types of venous reconstructions will be compared while adjusting for the length of the resected vein segment. Median and high-volume pancreatic centers (\>20 pancreatic resected /year). The inclusion criteria are: patients undergoing radical pancreatic resection with simultaneous PV/SMV resection, irrespective of final pathology operated between January 1 st 2018 - June 30 th, 2025 (retrospectively) or from July 1 st 2025-December 30 th, 2026 (prospectively). Patients with distant metastases (M1), \<18 years of age or undergoing R2 resection will be excluded. The study intends to include over 1000 patients. The main objective is to assess the perioperative factors (technical, organisational, anti-thrombotic treatment) associated with increased risk for early (30 days), intermediate (\>30 days-6 months) and late (\>6 months) venous thrombosis.

Flexor tendons injuries in the fingers are common and often require surgery. During surgery, the surgeon needs to make an incision in the skin on the inside of the finger to access the damaged tendon. A comparison will be done between two types of skin incisions in the fingers: * Bruner zig-zag incision * modified Bruner midlateral zig-zag incision Research questions: * Is there a difference in pain between the types of incisions? * Is there a difference in swelling between the types of incisions? * Does the type of incision affect the final result in term of motion? Patients who will undergo surgery for a flexor tendon injury in a finger will be asked to participate and be randomized to one type of skin incision. All other parts of the surgery will be carried out as usual. An occupational therapist and nurse will measure swelling and motion. The participant will report pain on a daily basis. The results for pain, swelling, motion in the fingers and sensibility in the fingers will be statistically compared between the two types of incisions on a group level. The results of this study may lead to guidelines for skin incisions in acute flexor tendon repair, allowing patients to experience less pain and swelling. This may facilitate the rehabilitation program and improve the final functional outcome.

Transcutaneous and EUS-guided radiofrequency ablation are both modern modalities to apply in the managemnet of various malignancies. In the current study the investigators aim to study the technical feasibility, patient safety and clinical efficacy of EUS-RFA for the treatment of pancreatic insulinoma.

A multicenter, randomized, controlled study in Sweden (n=110). This study consists of 2 phases: 1) open-label run-in within approximately 2 months, and 2) randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled treatment for 6 months. The open-label phase, in turn, consists of three periods: up-titration (normally 1 - 2 weeks, and longer in some cases), correction (maximum 72 hours) and maintenance (4 - 7 weeks).

Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis is common and may cause severe pain and functional limitation. Trapeziectomy is widely used, whereas prosthetic arthroplasty may offer faster early recovery. However, detailed information on early postoperative and long-term radiological outcomes remains limited. This is a single-centre, blinded randomised controlled trial at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Adults aged 18-69 years with symptomatic thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (Eaton grade 2-3) refractory to at least 3 months of non-operative treatment will be randomised 1:1 to trapeziometacarpal prosthetic arthroplasty or trapeziectomy. The primary outcome is day-by-day pain (registration on a numeric rating scale NRS, 0-10). Secondary outcomes include day-by-day analgesic consumption for 90 days, orthosis use after cast removal, patient-reported function (HQ-8, QuickDASH, and Nelson score) at 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days, assessor-measured range of motion and strength at 45 and 90 days, and long-term clinical follow-up at 6 months and 1, 2, 5 and 10 years. Cone beam computed tomography will be obtained in the arthroplasty group at 1 week postoperatively as reference and at 6 months and 1, 2, 5 and 10 years to assess implant position, migration and loosening. The target sample size is 64 participants (32 per group), providing 95% power to detect a 1-point between-group difference on the pain scale. Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle.

This study aims to investigate whether the level of antithrombin (AT) in the blood before cardiac surgery can predict how well patients respond to heparin, a medication used to prevent blood clotting during surgery with a heart-lung machine (cardiopulmonary bypass). Heparin requires antithrombin to work effectively. Some patients have lower levels of antithrombin, which may result in reduced response to heparin, a condition known as heparin resistance. This can lead to difficulties achieving adequate anticoagulation during surgery and may require additional medication or adjustments in treatment. In this study, an additional blood sample will be taken after anesthesia induction but before the administration of heparin. No changes will be made to the patient's treatment or care. Clinical data, including laboratory values, heparin dosing, and surgical outcomes, will be collected from routine medical records. The goal is to identify a clinically useful antithrombin threshold that can help detect patients at risk of heparin resistance. This may improve patient safety, optimize treatment strategies, and reduce unnecessary use of antithrombin therapy in the future.

The goal of this observational study is to learn if combining ultrasound and CT scans can better diagnose cartilage fractures in the ribs, and to understand how finding these injuries affects treatment decisions for patients with injuries to the Chest wall. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does using both ultrasound and CT scans find more costal cartilage fractures than CT scans alone? * Does discovering costal cartilage fractures change how patients are treated, such as whether more patients receive surgery or if different fractures are repaired? * How do costal cartilage fractures heal, and do they affect lung function, pain, or the risk of complications after surgery? Patients with cartilage injuries will be followed up at 1, 3, and 12 months after their injury. They will be checked for pain, instability, and healing using ultrasound and sometimes CT scans. The study will also assess lung function, quality of life, and pain levels.

The goal of this prospective, randomized study is to learn about the effects of two different surgical techniques for treating unstable chest wall injuries in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does fixing two fractures per rib lead to better healing than fixing one fracture per rib in patients with unstable chest injuries? Does the choice of surgical method affect lung function, pain, other symptoms, risk of pneumonia, or the risk of complications? Participants will: * Undergo surgery using either the standard method (fixing one fracture per rib) or an alternative method (fixing two fractures per rib), both using a muscle-sparing technique. * Be followed up at 1, 3, and 12 months after surgery. * Have CT scans at 3 months (and at 12 months if healing is incomplete) to assess bone healing. * Be evaluated for lung function, pain, symptoms, and complications. This study aims to provide new knowledge about which surgical method is best for unstable chest wall injuries, helping to improve treatment and recovery for these patients.

The study includes patients with tumors of the oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx scheduled to receive radiotherapy with curative intent (+/- chemotherapy). The patients will be randomized into either an intervention group (performing a preventive physical activity protocol before and during radiotherapy) or a control group not performing a specified physical exercise protocol. All patients will be in contact with with a speech language pathologist or a physical therapist weekly during radiotherapy. The study is expected to improve physical function and quality of life during and after oncologic treatment

Distal radius fracture is the most common fracture in Sweden, but little is known about the patient's experience of pain and hand function during the first three months after the injury. This observational study will provide detailed information on a daily basis regarding pain, use of analgesic drugs, use of splints and hand function as measured weekly by a condition-specific questionnaire.

PURPOSE The two related purposes of the RE-TyPE study are: 1. To improve understanding of the early clinical course of intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism and its association with outcome and 2. To establish a platform for longitudinal follow-up for all pulmonary embolism at Sahlgrenska University Hospital HYPOTHESES 1. The dynamic pattern of change, evaluated thorough repeated measures of biomarkers, electrocardiography and echocardiography during the first 48 hours after pulmonary embolism, better predicts outcome than static measurements currently used to predict outcome 2. Establishment of a platform for longitudinal follow-up will improve quality of care and outcome for patients with pulmonary embolism at Sahlgrenska University Hospital

The goal of this prospective observational study is to learn about the short- and long-term effects of treating men over the age of 18 with good prognosis metastatic testicular cancer with either primary retropertioneal lymph node dissection, RPLND, (for low-stage metastastic seminoma) or three doses of chemotherapy for metastastic seminoma or nonseminoma. The main question it aims to answer is: Does primary RPLND lower the risk of side-effects compared to receiving chemotherapy?

A growing body of evidence suggests patients with late-onset seizures are at an increased risk of stroke, but the potential for reducing cardiovascular morbidity through risk factor screening and management is unknown. The investigators aim to determine whether individuals with new-onset unprovoked seizures after middle age should undergo vascular risk assessment. In a cluster project the investigators assess the effect of vascular risk factor screening in an observational study as well as a cohort study. The project has two interlinked components: a prospective single group study, in which risk factor assessment is performed and subsequent management is followed for one year; and a register-based cohort study examining the long-term effects of the intervention on a system level.

International guidelines recommend immediate reperfusion with systemic thrombolysis (ST) as first-line treatment in high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). The therapy improves hemodynamics and overall survival but is also associated with a significant risk of severe bleeding. Catheter-directed intervention (CDI) is recommended as an alternative reperfusion therapy in high-risk PE when ST is contraindicated or has failed, as well as in patients who deteriorate or fail to improve during anticoagulation (AC) treatment. Despite lack of high-quality evidence and randomized studies between CDI and standard care, the use of CDI is spreading rapidly in high-risk PE and in less severe PE not fulfilling current treatment criteria.

In ECPR, where CPR times often range from 30 to 120 minutes, only patients with good circulation during CPR survive, while non-survivors commonly suffer from anoxic brain injury. The selection process during CPR is challenging causing a general survival rate of just 2 out of 10, and the urgent need for better selection criteria has been emphasized. It it crucial to keep cardiac arrest times as short as possible, pre primed-ECMO can facilitate this. The ECMO treatment and the long CPR times of ECPR can also affect the measurements of the neurologic prognostication guidelines after cardiac arrest, making its validity uncertain in this specific cohort. Further, the long-term neuropsychological follow-up is limited to a few patients, making it uncertain if ECPR gives the survivors good long-term life satisfaction or just a prolonged life. Our overall aim is to optimize and improve the care pathway for ECPR patients by refining patient selection, assessing pre-primed ECMO, validating neurological prognostication guidelines, and understanding long-term outcomes and challenges faced by survivors. Specific Aim 1: Evaluating predictors for good neurological outcomes in ECPR and to develop and validate (internally and externally) an evidence-based selection tool for ECPR. Specific aim 2: To assess the sterility and function of pre-primed ECMO. Specific aim 3: To evaluate the applicability of current guidelines for neurological prognostication after cardiac arrest in ECPR patients, and to assess the predictive value of individual and combined neurological tests in this specific patient population. Specific aim 4: To determine the long-term neuropsychological outcomes, identify the problems survivors experience in daily life, and assess life satisfaction - by comprehensive follow-up visits with validated questionnaires and neuropsychology testing up to 12 years after the ECMO-treated cardiac arrest.

The overall goal of this project is to determine if machine learning and analysis of neurospecific biomarkers can enable early detection of upcoming or ongoing cerebral ischaemia in patients suffering from subarachnoid haemorrhage with altered consciousness due to cerebral injury or sedation. Analyses of heart rate variability, electroencephalgraphy,nearinfrared spectroscopy, cerebral autoregulation, and brain injury specific biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid will be performed.

The main aim of the project is to identify key-factors involved in the development and progression of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), a chronic invalidating rheumatic disease characterized by high mortality and insufficient treatment options. A cohort of patients with SSc will be collected at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Skaraborg Hospital in Skövde, and Södra Älvsborg Hospital in Borås (Sweden). Thanks to a holistic approach including integrated analysis of blood, and skin samples as well as DNA, and with the use of state-of-the-art methods, this project aims to identify factors (e.g. genes, proteins, metabolites, and immune cell types) associated with the development of SSc and with the progression to a more aggressive phenotype. Functional studies using in vitro model systems and patient specimens will be also implemented. The findings of the current project could lead to the identification of possible diagnostic and prognostic markers for the disease as well as potential drug targets. This cohort will be also linked to the European Scleroderma Trial and Research (EUSTAR), which is an international SSc research network aiming to coordinate research activities on SSc from groups all over Europe in order to improve treatment, quality of life and mortality of patients with SSc.

Introduction Foot ulcers in diabetes mellitus (DM) are a common and serious complication that can lead to infection, amputation, and increased mortality. Early identification of patients at high risk is crucial in order to implement preventive measures at an early stage. The number of people with DM is increasing globally, from 540 million in 2021 to an estimated 780 million by 2045. Foot ulcers cause considerable suffering for the individual and entail substantial costs for the healthcare system. Despite national guidelines recommending regular, structured foot examinations and risk classification to assess the risk of developing foot ulcers, current risk models do not take into account the complex interactions between risk factors and socioeconomic factors such as marital status, level of education, and place of residence. Data-driven advances and artificial intelligence (AI) offer new opportunities to refine risk identification, but their use in predicting the risk of diabetic foot ulcers remains limited. The need for foot screening is considerable. In Sweden, there are approximately 600,000 patients with DM, and half of them live with an increased risk due to nerve damage in the feet. This means that, based on risk level, around 300,000 patients in Sweden may require preventive interventions, including medical foot care, customised footwear, and access to specialist care for those with foot ulcers. Improved preventive efforts are emphasised in the person-centred and integrated care pathway for people with diabetes at high risk of foot ulcers. However, accurate identification of foot ulcer risk is currently lacking. Prevention leads not only to good quality of life for the individual but also to reduced healthcare costs. Estimates by Ragnarsson Tennvall show that a hard-to-heal ulcer costs approximately SEK 100,000 per year, while an amputation costs around SEK 300,000-500,000. Given a prevalence of foot ulcers of 5% among patients with diabetes, the annual cost of ulcer care amounts to SEK 3 billion. In addition, there are costs of approximately SEK 750 million for amputations, according to data from the quality register SwedAmp. The aim of the study is to develop, test, and validate prediction models (statistical and AI-based) to identify patients with DM who are at risk of developing foot ulcers. The models will be based on retrospective electronic health record data from primary care in the Västra Götaland Region (VGR), as well as data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) concerning demographic factors such as marital status, level of education, occupation, and place of residence. Methods The study has two methodological approaches: AI-based modelling and statistical modelling. AI-based approach Machine learning models will be developed to predict patients at risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers. The models will be trained using cross-validation on a large dataset in which variables will be iteratively excluded. Conformal prediction will be used to quantify uncertainty in patient-level predictions. The resulting models will be analysed to identify the strongest predictors and will be compared with classical statistical modelling and findings from the literature. Steps in AI modelling: Data extraction: Electronic health record data from primary care in VGR, supplemented with sociodemographic data from SCB. Data processing: Use of, among other variables, diagnostic codes (ICD-10), healthcare interventions (KVÅ codes), visit types, visit frequency, ECG parameters, and free-text data to construct predictors. Model development: Prediction models will be developed and trained using cross-validation. Measures of uncertainty will be generated using conformal prediction. Validation: A separate cohort will be used to test model performance (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value \[PPV\]). Interpretation: The models will be reviewed for transparency and clinical interpretability in collaboration with patient representatives, clinicians, and researchers. The results of the statistical and AI-based models will be compared with regard to their respective strengths and weaknesses. Statistical modelling Two populations will be analysed: patients with diabetes without foot ulcers and patients with diabetes with foot ulcers. Co-variation and causal relationships between risk factors and foot ulcers will be identified. A model describing causal pathways leading to ulcer development will be developed, and its certainty and uncertainty will be analysed.

Objective: To evaluate if spinal cord stimulation (SCS) performs better than placebo (no stimulation) in the long term to reduce persistent neuropathic leg pain refractory to medication and other conservative treatments in patients who have undergone lumbar spinal surgery. Study design: Multicenter, double blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. After a positive SCS test trial, participants (18-70 years) will be implanted with a non-rechargeable SCS system providing active, subthreshold stimulation and followed for 12 months in a blinded cross-over design. The primary outcome measure is the difference in change in leg pain intensity scores using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) between a 3-month period with optimized subthreshold stimulation, and a 3-month period with no stimulation, as compared to baseline. Quality of life, physical functioning, sleep quality, return to work, and reduction in medication use will also be investigated. Background: Up to 20% of patients who have undergone lumbar spinal surgery experience persistent back/leg pain leading to long-term reduction in functionality and quality of life. SCS is an established and safe, minimally invasive treatment for these patients when no further surgery is indicated and conservative therapies have been found to be ineffective. Placebo-controlled studies, comparing active and sham stimulation, were lacking until recently as traditional SCS relied on the patient feeling the stimulation (paresthesia). Technological progress with development of paresthesia-free stimulation forms now allows for the execution of placebo-controlled studies. A recent trial showing no significant difference in long-term effectiveness between active SCS and sham suffers from significant methodological shortcomings. This necessitates further sham-controlled studies to determine the effectiveness of SCS.

Purpose \& Research Questions The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether artificial intelligence (AI) improves the detection of polyps and whether the system can classify the type and severity of detected changes. The investigators will also assess if there are any differences between the various AI systems and whether the polyps that may be missed are benign or malignant.

The study aims to compare the readings from two methods of monitoring carbon dioxide levels during jet ventilation when normal end-tidal monitoring is not possible. During jet ventilation it is technically not possible to monitor the levels of carbon dioxide in exhaled air as is the standard in preoperative care. We will compare transcutaneous (through the skin) monitoring to an arterial blood. sample. Both transcutaneous monitoring and arterial monitoring is currently used as the standard for this patient group at our institution. By collecting data prospectively we can evaluate if there. are discrepancies based on monitoring method. All patients will be treated per standard preoperative protocol and only patients consenting to participate will contribute data to the comparison and statistical analysis.