Open Effect of Stellate Ganglion Block on ME/CFS (SGB_ME)

Sly Saint

Sly Saint

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Brief Summary:
The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effects of stellate ganglion block (SGB) in participants with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does SGB treatment improve symptoms of ME/CFS (e.g. brain fog, fatigue)? Do changes in symptoms go along with changes in blood or saliva?

Participants will receive a total of six blocks over three weeks (one block on each side, one day apart, per week). Prior to treatment and at two points following treatment, participants will complete surveys, take a cognitive (puzzle type) test, and provide blood and saliva for analysis. Participants will measure their heart rate daily using a free smart phone app.

Encephalomyelitis, Myalgic Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic Fatigue Disorder Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Postviral Fatigue Syndrome Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease Infectious Mononucleosis-Like Syndrome, Chronic Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Drug: Bupivacaine Injection Phase 1
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https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05664711?term=stellate+ganglion+block&draw=2&rank=7
 
article on the clinic and research:

An Anchorage doctor’s office has become a destination for patients whose lives have been upended by long COVID
Dr. Luke Liu’s clinic will soon begin recruiting patients for a pilot study of a treatment for long COVID symptoms.
On a recent evening inside an office at Alaska Regional Hospital, Dr. Luke Liu watched an ultra thin needle move on an ultrasound screen as he guided it into the neck of his patient, Becky Hallstrom. Gently, he pushed the plunger, releasing a numbing agent called bupivacaine.

His needle’s target: a collection of nerves known as the stellate ganglion. His goal, using a treatment that will soon be part of a pilot study, was to help Hallstrom get closer to the life she had before a COVID-19 infection turned it upside down.

Liu, an anesthesiologist who specializes in complicated pain and nerve problems, has become a doctor of last resort for hundreds of Alaskans — and a growing number of patients from Outside — suffering from disabling conditions that started after they were infected with COVID-19.
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https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anc...ose-lives-have-been-upended-by-long-covid-19/
 
https://www.neuroversion.com/long-covid

From his website:

Despite the reproducible clinical success reported elsewhere, Dr. Liu cautions that his publication was not meant to be a cookbook recipe, but rather a proof of concept. Stellate ganglion block is not the holy grail to a complex and enigmatic medical condition. It should never be advertised as a tool for financial exploitation of vulnerable patients in desperation, especially by charlatans whose inexperience and lack of qualification could endanger patients.

Dr. Liu completed his medical education and specialty training at top notch world renowned medical institutions. He is board certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. He relies on his education and experience to safely perform the procedure. To this day, Dr. Liu has performed more than 4,000 stellate ganglion blocks, making him one of the most experienced and authoritative physicians on the subject. Because of his unique experience, he has refined the procedure to minimize patient discomfort and maximize safety. For example, while the conventional needle used for the procedure is 22 gauge or 25 gauge in size, Dr. Liu’s skill and experience have allowed him to safely and effectively perform the procedure using a much smaller 27- or 30-gauge needle, a size even smaller than the COVID vaccine needle.

At Neuroversion, the stellate ganglion block continues to be used as an option to treat appropriate Long Covid patients. Most responded well with positive and durable clinical results. However, the stellate ganglion block is not the only tool Dr. Liu uses to treat a condition as complex as Long Covid. Patients always need individualized and carefully considered treatment plans, and Dr. Liu uses additional interventions to treat patients with Long Covid when appropriate. Quality and compassionate care is not “one-size-fits-all.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Liu and Dr. Duricka are continuing to collaborate with esteemed and far more experienced Long Covid/ME/CFS researchers around the world on the quest to find the underlying mechanisms causing Long Covid/ME/CFS and to develop effective treatments.

The Neuroversion team is committed to taking care of Long Covid patients with our partners in the medical community.

We have been receiving Long Covid patients from outside Alaska and even outside of the US. Due to the ongoing pandemic and the fluid situation, we do not advise patients to travel. We encourage the patients to seek treatment from legitimate and experienced local anesthesiologists and pain medicine specialists. With that said, our door is always open to those in desperate need who cannot get adequate care locally.
 
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