Darin J. Correll, MD, is an Attending Anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine; Chair of the Acute Pain Committee and Chair of the Task Force for Opioid-related Education at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as well as an Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Correll received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA and his Medical Doctorate degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a residency in anesthesiology, then a two-year clinical and research fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Dr. Correll's research addresses all aspects of perioperative pain assessment, education and management.
1. Postoperative pain continues to be poorly controlled despite the numerous management techniques that are available. Some of the most difficult patients to effectively manage are those with chronic pain and/or opioid tolerance before their surgery. Another inadequately addressed problem resulting from insufficient postoperative pain management is the development of persistent postsurgical pain.
To examine these issues, Dr. Correll utilizes various research techniques including scientometric analysis, retrospective analyses, survey-based studies and placebo-controlled trials. Specific areas of interest include trying to better understand the measurement tools that are used to assess pain, analyses of adjunctive analgesics to improve pain control (including in the opioid tolerant/chronic pain patient), trials of investigational new analgesics, and getting a better understanding of patients’ expectations of pain, knowledge of pain “risks” (including for persistent postoperative pain) as well as the drivers of patient satisfaction with pain control.
Ongoing Research in this Area:
I. “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Group, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Analgesic Efficacy and Safety of VVZ-149 Injections for Post-Operative Pain Following Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery”
Sponsor: Vivozon, Inc.
Role: Site-responsible Investigator
Collaborators: Srdjan Nedeljkovic, MD (Department of Anesthesiology); Jose Zeballos, MD (Department of Anesthesiology)
The objective, of this phase 2 clinical trial, is to make a preliminary assessment of the efficacy and pharmacokinetics of VVZ-149, a novel analgesic drug candidate with dual antagonist activity of GlyT2 (glycine transporter type 2) and 5HT2A (subtype of serotonin receptor).
II. "Correlating the Multidimensional Affect and Pain Survey to a Unidimensional Pain Scale"
Role: Principal Investigator
Collaborator: Pritesh Topiwala, MD (Department of Anesthesiology)
The objective, of this study, is to examine how patients’ rating of their postoperative pain, using a verbal numeric scale, correlates with the Multidimensional Affect and Pain Survey (MAPS). This is to determine if, and at what value, there is a change in the correlation from somatosensory qualities to emotional qualities.
III. "Evaluation of Satisfaction with Postoperative Pain Control following Elective Thoracoscopic Surgery"
Role: Principal Investigator
Collaborator: Emily Siu, MD (Department of Anesthesiology)
The objective, of this study, is to examine the level of satisfaction with analgesia after elective thoracic surgery using a validated patient outcome questionnaire. The aim is to determine what items and variables are correlated with the degree of satisfaction.
2. The major pharmaceutical agents commonly used for postoperative pain management remain the opioid analgesics. To ensure the benefits of their use outweigh the risks, an understanding of the appropriate usage of these agents is needed both by the providers as well as the patients, to ensure the patients’ wellbeing. There are several possible side effects/downsides to the use of opioids with two being the most potentially devastating - respiratory depression and the development of addiction/misuse.
To examine these issues, Dr. Correll utilizes various research techniques including database analyses, survey-based studies and placebo-controlled trials. Specific areas of interest include the utilization of techniques to enhance patients’ understanding of opioid analgesic modalities to improve pain control and safety with their use, determining proper monitoring for patients on opioids, utilization of adjunctive analgesics to reduce opioid requirements and determining the “correct” method to control postoperative pain in opioid-replacement therapy patients.
Ongoing Research in this Area:
I. “Impact of preemptive acetaminophen on postoperative opioid use and complications in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery”
Role: Co-Investigator
Collaborators: Emad Alsarraf, PharmD (Pharmacy Department); Marjan Sadegh, PharmD (Pharmacy Department); Sarah Culbreth, PharmD (Pharmacy Department); Scott Shikora, MD (Department of Surgery)
The objective, of this study, is to evaluate the effect of preemptive oral acetaminophen on postoperative opioid consumption and adverse events following LSG.
II. "Acute pain management while on buprenorphine: A survey of opioid use disorder patients in office-based opioid treatment"
Role: Co-Investigator
Collaborators: Marjan Sadegh (Pharmacy Department); Joji Suzuki, MD (Addiction Psychiatry); Claudia Rodriguez, MD (Addiction Psychiatry)
The objective, of this study, is to identify the reasons buprenorphine patients experience acute pain, and whether buprenorphine was discontinued or not prior to the procedure; to determine the adequacy of acute pain treatment when buprenorphine was and was not discontinued; and to determine the frequency at which relapses occurred in the context of acute pain issues.
Published Work via US National Library of Medicine
