AzTrials
AzTrials

Postoperative PainPhase 4NCT04777591

Effectiveness of Exparel TAP Block in Breast Free Flap Reconstruction

A Phase 4 study testing Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block and Bupivacain in people with Postoperative Pain and Breast Reconstruction, run by University of Virginia 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
Search all trials

Trial summary

Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block is a useful tool in pain management after abdominal surgery. It is a regional nerve block that targets T6-L1 thoracolumbar nerves running in the plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscle. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Postoperative Pain, Breast Reconstruction
What is being tested?
Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block and Bupivacain
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
117 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
1 Mar 2021to 28 Dec 2022
Phase
Phase 4
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 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • All female patients who are 18 years or older who will undergo unilateral or bilateral abdomen-based free flap breast reconstruction at UVA Medical Center

Who cannot join

  • Subjects with ages <18 years
  • Allergy to local anesthetic
  • Inability to tolerate standard postoperative pain management regimen (Tylenol, Toradol, and Oxycodone PRN) for any reason
  • Subjects who cannot read or understand English
  • Subjects who are pregnant

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • University of Virginia Medical Center

    Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902

  • University of Virginia

    Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903

Other trials in United States

About this study

Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block is a useful tool in pain management after abdominal surgery. It is a regional nerve block that targets T6-L1 thoracolumbar nerves running in the plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscle. It is shown to help with post-operative pain management, reducing pain scores and narcotic pain medication use, as well as promoting earlier return to activity and recovery. TAP block became a very popular, safe, and effective therapeutic adjunct for many different abdominal surgeries ranging from obstetric procedures to general surgery procedures like colorectal surgery. Furthermore, it is used in plastic surgery procedures such as Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) free flap or Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous (TRAM) flap, as they involve extensive amount of abdominal soft tissue incision. Previous studies have shown that TAP block in these procedures significantly reduce post-op pain and narcotic pain medication use. More recently, Exparel (liposomal bupivacaine) has risen to spotlight for providing a longer, sustained local anesthesia. Various surgical disciplines have adopted this agent as part of their pain management protocol. However, there are no literatures that describe the effect of TAP block using Exparel for breast free flap population. The study hypothesize that delivering TAP block with Exparel (vs. plain bupivacaine) will provide longer regional blocking effect, hence aiding in pain control and recovery postoperatively. The investigators will be analyzing postop narcotic pain medication requirement and pain scores to look into this question.

Being tested
Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block, Bupivacain
Keywords
TAP block, Regional block, ERAS, liposomal bupivacaine, free flap
Medical subject headings
Pain, Postoperative

What participants receive

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

  • Liposomal bupivacaine TAP blockDrug

    Group will receive Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block (mixed with plain bupivacaine) intraoperatively during free flap breast reconstruction as part of the multimodal pain control.

  • BupivacainDrug

    Group will receive plain bupivacaine TAP block intraoperatively during free flap breast reconstruction as part of the multimodal pain control.

Study groups in NCT04777591
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Control - plain bupivacaineActive comparatorReceives plain bupivacaine TAP block as part of multi-modal pain control intraoperatively
Receives: Drug: Bupivacain
Experimental - Liposomal bupivacaineExperimentalReceives plain bupivacaine + liposomal bupivacaine TAP block as part of multi-modal pain control intraoperatively
Receives: Drug: Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block

What is being measured

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

  1. Post-op Pain Scores During Initial Hospitalization

    Visual analog pain scale. Scores range from 0 to 10, 0 being no pain and 10 being worse pain that one experienced in their lifetime.

    Measured: During initial hospitalization following surgery up to Day 5 (or to the point of discharge), whichever came first

  2. Post-op Narcotic Pain Medication Use During Hospitalization

    total amount of morphine milliequivalent

    Measured: during initial hospitalization following surgery up to Day 5 (or to the point of discharge), whichever came first

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Length of Hospital Stay

    hospital length of stay

    Measured: during initial hospitalization following surgery up to Day 5 (or to the point of discharge), whichever came first

Timeline

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

  1. First posted2 Mar 2021
  2. Study start1 Mar 2021
  3. Primary completion28 Dec 2022
  4. Study completion28 Dec 2022

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 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Control group: TAP block with plain bupivacaine Intervention group: TAP block with plain bupivacaine + liposomal bupivacaine
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
117 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04777591
Sponsor's protocol ID
HSR210033
Status last verified
Aug 2024
First submitted
23 Feb 2021
Last updated
23 Aug 2024
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Park RH, Chou J, DeVito RG, Elmer A, Hollenbeck ST, Campbell CA, Stranix JT. Effectiveness of Liposomal Bupivacaine Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2024 Oct 1;154(4S):52S-59S. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000011326. Epub 2024 Sep 20.

    PubMed 38315156

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Liposomal bupivacaine TAP block and Bupivacain in people with Postoperative Pain and Breast Reconstruction, run by University of Virginia 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 1 inclusion and 5 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 23 Aug 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 23 Aug 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?

Post-op Pain Scores During Initial Hospitalization (time frame: During initial hospitalization following surgery up to Day 5 (or to the point of discharge), whichever came first). 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 NCT04777591, 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 23 Aug 2024.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in