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Pain, PostoperativeNCT02996227

Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block With Exparel Verus Continuous Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine

A study testing TAP block, Epidural analgesia and EXPAREL in people with Pain, Postoperative and Major Abdominal Surgery, run by The Cleveland Clinic at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Comparison of Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block with Exparel versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
Pain, Postoperative, Major Abdominal Surgery
What is being tested?
TAP block, Epidural analgesia and EXPAREL
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
514 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Dec 2016to Oct 2019
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Written informed consent
  • 18-85 years old
  • ASA Physical Status 1-3
  • Scheduled for elective open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery, including colorectal and hysterectomy surgeries
  • Anticipated hospitalization of three nights
  • Expected requirement for parenteral opioids for at least 72 hours for postoperative pain
  • Able to use IV PCA systems.

Who cannot join

  • Hepatic disease, e.g. twice the normal levels of liver enzymes
  • Kidney disease, e.g. twice the normal level of serum creatinine
  • Bupivacaine sensitivity or known allergy
  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Anticoagulants considered to be a contraindication for epidural or TAP blocks.
  • Surgeries with high port sites will be excluded

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44195

  • The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44195

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Comparison of Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block With Exparel Verus Continuous Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Comparison of Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block with Exparel versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine

Read the detailed description

The investigator goal is to compare the analgesic efficacy of TAP blocks with liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) and continuous epidural blocks in patients who are scheduled for major lower abdominal surgery. To assess whether TAP block with Exparel is noninferior to continuous epidural analgesia on pain management, defined as noninferior for both pain control and total opioid consumption for 72 hours, in patients who had major lower abdominal surgery.

Being tested
TAP block, Epidural analgesia, EXPAREL, Bupivacaine
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TAP blockProcedure or surgery

    Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) blocks will be performed preoperatively. An in-plane ultrasound will be used in TAP block procedure.

  • Epidural analgesiaProcedure or surgery

    Epidural catheters will be inserted preoperatively.

  • EXPARELDrug

    Also called Liposomal Bupivacaine

    Once the target area is positioned, plain bupivacaine 0.25%, 20ml will be given to open the space and then single dose (10ml) of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) mixed with saline (10 ml) will be injected in each side. Total dose of Exparel will be 20 mL.

  • BupivacaineDrug

    Also called Marcaine

    Once an epidural catheter is successfully positioned, an infusion will be initiated intraoperatively. Bupivacaine standard solution without additives will be prepared for each patient in epidural group.

Study groups in NCT02996227
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TAP block with ExparelExperimentalBilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block procedure following injection of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel)
Receives: Procedure: TAP block; Drug: EXPAREL
Epidural analgesia with BupivacaineActive comparatorEpidural catheters with an infusion of Bupivacaine standard solution without additives
Receives: Procedure: Epidural analgesia; Drug: Bupivacaine

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. VRS Pain Score

    Pain scores will be measured using a Verbal Response Scale (VRS). VRS is a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 signifies no pain and 10 signifies the worst pain ever experienced. The VRS will be recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU. Summary statistics of pain scores are reported as means ± standard deviations of average pain during the first 72 postoperative hours

    Measured: The Verbal Response Scale was recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU.

  2. Total Opioid Consumption

    Opioid consumption will be measured as the total amount of opioids (converted to morphine sulfate equivalents) used during the 72 hours after the end of surgery.

    Measured: During the 72 hours after discharge from the PACU.

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Cumulative Duration of Activity

    defined as the total duration of time patients spent sitting or standing, as determined by the mobile monitoring system during the initial 72 postoperative hours.

    Measured: During the initial 72 postoperative hours.

  2. Opioid-related Side Effect

    We will use 4-point Opioid-Related Symptom Distress Scale (ORSDS) to evaluate the frequency, severity, and bothersomeness of: nausea, vomiting, constipation, difficulty passing urine, difficulty concentrating,drowsiness or difficulty staying awake, feeling lightheaded or dizzy,feeling confused, feelings of general fatigue or weakness, itchiness, dry mouth, and headache. Severity: 1=Slightly severe 2=Moderately severe 3=Severe 4=Very severe; Frequency: 1=Rarely 2=Occasionally 3=Frequently 4=Almost constantly; Bothersomeness (rescaled to a 4-point scale): 0.8=not at all 1.6=a little bit 2.4= somewhat 3.2=quite a bit 4.0=very much. If a patient did not experience the symptom in the past 24 hours, a score of 0 was assigned to each domain. Opioid-related side effect is the sum of the patient's frequency, severity, and bothersomeness, scored from 0 to 12. Higher scores indicate greater severity.

    Measured: The first, second and third postoperative mornings

  3. Hemodynamic Instability, Defined as Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) <55 mmHg or Systolic Blood Pressure <80 mmHg.

    Visi mobile patient monitoring system will be used to obtain the blood pressure of the patient for 72 hours. Data was recorded at 15-s intervals and downloaded daily to a laptop. We re-defined postoperative hypotension as any MAP <65 mmHg, because few patients experienced such profound hypotension as originally planned and because papers published since the trial were designed to identify 65 mmHg as the harm threshold for both myocardial and renal injury. Summary statistics of hemodynamic instability are reported as means ± standard deviations of average MAP during the first 72 postoperative hours.

    Measured: Data was recorded at 15-s intervals during the initial 72 postoperative hours.

  4. Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia

    Quality of recovery (QoR) will be measured using QoR-15 questionnaire which includes 15 11-point numerical rating scale. For positive items, 0 = "none of the time [poor]" to 10 = "all of the time [excellent]"; Conversely, for negative items, 10 = "none of the time [excellent]" to 0 = "all of the time [poor]". Quality of recovery is the sum of all the 15 questions, with a score ranging from 0 (extremely poor QoR) to 150 (excellent QoR).

    Measured: The first and third postoperative mornings

  5. Length of Hospital Stay

    The length of hospital stay will be measured as days.

    Measured: From date of hospital admission until the date of hospital discharge or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted19 Dec 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2016
  3. Primary completionJun 2019
  4. Study completionOct 2019

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
514 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02996227
Sponsor's protocol ID
16-1449 -EXPLANE Block
Status last verified
Jan 2024
First submitted
5 Dec 2016
Last updated
31 Jan 2024
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Turan A, Cohen B, Elsharkawy H, Maheshwari K, Soliman LM, Babazade R, Ayad S, Hassan M, Elkassabany N, Essber HA, Kessler H, Mao G, Esa WAS, Sessler DI; EXPLANE Study Group. Transversus abdominis plane block with liposomal bupivacaine versus continuous epidural analgesia for major abdominal surgery: The EXPLANE randomized trial. J Clin Anesth. 2022 May;77:110640. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2021.110640. Epub 2021 Dec 27.

    PubMed 34969004

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing TAP block, Epidural analgesia and EXPAREL in people with Pain, Postoperative and Major Abdominal Surgery, run by The Cleveland Clinic at 2 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Jan 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 31 Jan 2024). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

VRS Pain Score (time frame: The Verbal Response Scale was recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02996227, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Jan 2024.

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