MAGNA-PAO: magnesium as an adjuvant for postoperative analgesia in periacetabular osteotomy; a clinical trial protocol

Magnesium has been shown to reduce postoperative pain scores and opioid use in select orthopedic patient populations with a satisfactory safety profile. The objective of the MAGNA-PAO clinical trial is to observe and quantify the efficacy of magnesium as an adjuvant for postoperative analgesia following periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). Sixty-four patients will be randomly allocated to two groups: peri-operative pain protocol with or without adjuvant intra operative intravenous magnesium. The primary outcomes include visual analog score (VAS) pain scores over the first seven postoperative days and the amount of opioid medications used, expressed as morphine milligram equivalents (MME) and number of tablets, postoperatively. Secondary outcome measures include Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) scores. This article will discuss the rationale, objective, and in-depth methodology of the MAGNA-PAO clinical trial. The results of the clinical trial could minimize postoperative pain and reduce the usage of post-operative narcotic medications.<b>Clinical Trial Registration</b>: The ClincialTrials.gov identifier is NCT05947760.