Merck, Inc. - Surgery Investigator Studies Program (MISP)

Effective September 2017, the Surgery Investigator Studies Program (MISP) Committee will accept proposals within our current areas of interest (AOI) as noted below. This is a competitive process that will be conducted by the Surgery MISP in 2018. Decisions will be made on the basis of scientific merit and strategic fit within the AOI. Please review the critical activities and abide by the timelines as outlined below.

The following areas are of interest to the Investigator Studies Program Committee: 

• NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCKADE (NMB):
  • Impact of NMB (including deep block) on surgical conditions and other intra-operative outcomes for a variety of procedures, especially abdominal minimally invasive, ENT, ocular, orthopedic joint manipulation, thoracic, and neurosurgical
  • Impact of NMB (including deep block) on post-operative outcomes (see procedures above), including pulmonary, pain, nausea, vomiting, neurohumoral response, cardiac function, cognition, ambulation, swallowing, and overall patient satisfaction.
  • Impact of the addition of NMB (including deep block) to an enhanced recovery protocol

deep block - post-tetanic count of 1 or twitches

• RESIDUAL NMB:
  • Impact of residual NMB on postoperative recovery and/or other perioperative outcomes overall, and in special populations
  • Identify special populations at risk for postoperative pulmonary and other complications
  • Special populations include but are not limited to: children, elderly, obese, those with burns, those with pulmonary disease, those in special settings (intensive care, ambulatory, other), those with neuromuscular or psychiatric disorders
  • Impact of subjective vs. objective neuromuscular monitoring on achieving complete recovery at extubation and/or the rate of residual paralysis
  • Develop simple clinical methods to detect residual block
• EFFICIENCY:
  • Impact of reversal of NMB on patient care efficiency, including:
    • time in the operating room, PACU, ICU, or hospital in various scenarios or in specific procedures
    • costs in various scenarios (inpatient; outpatient, other), patient populations (see #2), and procedures
  • Develop and /or validate methods to measure efficiency
• ENHANCED RECOVERY PROTOCOLS:
  • Contribution of neuromuscular relaxant reversal and/or NMB (including deep block) on patient outcomes in specific surgical protocols (GI, bariatric, orthopedic, etc.)
  • Contribution of peripheral opioid receptor antagonists to the impact of a protocol
• REAL WORLD EVIDENCE:
  • Impact of introduction of sugammadex on clinical behaviors and/or clinical practice, such as monitoring usage, reversal practice, use of specific anesthetic techniques or adjuvants

For more information: http://engagezone.msd.com/perioperative_care.html