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AzTrials

Lung Cancer (NSCLC)NCT07002788

Comparison Paravertebral and Serratus Anterior Plane Block in Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery.

A study testing Bupivacaine, Morphine and Paracetamol in people with Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Lung Adenocarcinoma, run by Hacettepe University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive alternative to thoracotomy that emerged in the early 1990s, aiming to reduce surgical stress and postoperative pain. While VATS generally results in less pain than thoracotomy, patients may still experience significant discomfort. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 90 years
What is being tested?
Bupivacaine, Morphine and Paracetamol
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
122 participants
Where
1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
Study dates
1 Dec 2024to 1 Jan 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 90 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients between the ages of 18-64 who gave consent to participate in the study
  • Patients between the ages of 65-90 who received a score of 24 or more from the mini mental test and gave consent to participate in the study
  • ASA 1-3 patients

Who cannot join

  • Those with neuropathy,
  • Those with renal failure,
  • Those with liver failure,
  • Those with coagulopathy,
  • Those with local anesthetic allergy,
  • Those with infection in the area where the procedure will be performed,
  • Those with congenital muscle absence in the area where the block will be performed
  • Patients who did not give consent to participate in the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi

    Ankara

Other trials in Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Official title: Comparison of Postoperative Analgesic Efficacy of Paravertebral Block and Serratus Anterior Plane Block in Patients Undergoing Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS)

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive alternative to thoracotomy that emerged in the early 1990s, aiming to reduce surgical stress and postoperative pain. While VATS generally results in less pain than thoracotomy, patients may still experience significant discomfort. Effective pain control remains crucial in VATS to minimize postoperative complications, especially pulmonary and cardiac events, which can arise from inadequate ventilation and impaired sputum clearance due to pain.

Various strategies have been developed to manage postoperative pain, with multimodal approaches-combining regional or peripheral blocks with systemic analgesics such as NSAIDs and adjuvants-now considered standard. Among regional techniques, serratus anterior plane (SAP) block and thoracic paravertebral block (PVB) are commonly used. SAP block targets the thoracodorsal, long thoracic, and T2-T9 spinal nerves between the latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior muscles, providing effective anterolateral chest wall analgesia. PVB targets intercostal nerves within the paravertebral space and has shown superior pain control and improved lung function compared to systemic opioids or intrapleural local anesthetics.

Read more

At our center, both SAP and PVB are routinely used for postoperative analgesia in VATS procedures for patients with lung masses. Pain levels will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a reliable tool for evaluating both acute and chronic pain, unaffected by age or gender.

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of SAP and PVB blocks in terms of postoperative pain, opioid requirements, and block-related complications in patients undergoing VATS under general anesthesia. The research is observational and will not alter routine clinical practices.

Read the detailed description

The study is a single-center randomized single-blind prospective clinical study, and after patients with appropriate criteria are included in the study; they will be assigned to either the paravertebral block arm or the serratus anterior plane block arm of the study using an internet-based randomization program (randomizer.org). Patients will not know which arm of the study they are in, but researchers who will evaluate the treatment outcome will know which block was applied to which patient. Paravertebral block or serratus anterior plane block will be applied to the patients under general anesthesia after VATS according to the arm they are in. After the patients are taken to the room, non-invasive arterial blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and peripheral oxygen saturation monitoring will be performed before general anesthesia. This is the routine monitoring method applied before anesthesia application. Standard routine general anesthesia will be applied to the patients. No change will be made in the general anesthesia approach due to the study.

Being tested
Bupivacaine, Morphine, Paracetamol, Diklofenak Sodyum
Keywords
paravertebral block, serratus anterior plane block, lung cancer, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
Medical subject headings
Lung Neoplasms, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung, Adenocarcinoma of Lung

What participants receive

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

  • BupivacaineDrug

    Also called Bupivakain

    Used for regional anesthesia during VATS procedure (e.g., paravertebral or serratus anterior plane block)

  • MorphineDrug

    Also called morfin

    Used for postoperative pain control via PCA device.

  • ParacetamolDrug

    Also called Acetaminophen

    Used as part of postoperative multimodal analgesia

  • Diklofenak SodyumDrug

    Also called NSAID

    Administered for postoperative pain management

Study groups in NCT07002788
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Paravertebral blockActive comparatorParavertebral block: After the patient is in the lateral decubitus position and the necessary antiseptic conditions are provided, the linear probe of the ultrasound will be placed between two transverse processes in the paramedian plane on the side to be operated on, and the transverse processes and the superior costotransverse ligament and pleura will be visualized at the level of the thoracic 6-7 vertebrae. The 22 gauge 50 mm needle will be advanced in-plane with ultrasonography until it passes the superior costotransverse ligament, and 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride will be injected while the needle tip is in the thoracic paravertebral area. The spread of the local anesthetic drug and the collapse movement of the pleura will be observed on ultrasonography.
Receives: Drug: Bupivacaine; Drug: Morphine; Drug: Paracetamol; Drug: Diklofenak Sodyum
serratus anterior plane blockActive comparatorIn patients who will undergo serratus anterior plane block, after the necessary antiseptic conditions are provided in the lateral decubitus position, 30 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride will be injected into the anatomical neurofascial space between the serratus anterior and latissimus dorsalis muscle with a 10 cm long block needle in the mid-axillary line between the 4th and 5th ribs using the linear probe of the ultrasound.
Receives: Drug: Bupivacaine; Drug: Morphine; Drug: Paracetamol; Drug: Diklofenak Sodyum

What is being measured

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

  1. Postoperative Pain Scores (VAS)

    Pain assessment will be performed by Res. Asst. Dr. Rabia Çakmak at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours postoperatively. Pain scores will be evaluated at rest and during coughing using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain.

    Measured: Within the first 24 hours after surgery

  2. Total Postoperative Morphine Consumption

    Total morphine consumption in the first 24 hours after surgery will be recorded by the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device.

    Measured: Within the first 24 hours after surgery

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Total Rescue Analgesic Use

    Amount of additional analgesic medication (excluding PCA-administered morphine) required in the first 24 hours postoperatively will be recorded.

    Measured: Within the first 24 hours after surgery

Timeline

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

  1. First posted4 Jun 2025
  2. Study start1 Dec 2024
  3. Primary completion1 Dec 2025 (estimated)
  4. Study completion1 Jan 2026 (estimated)

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
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
122 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07002788
Sponsor's protocol ID
KA-24035
Status last verified
Apr 2025
First submitted
16 Mar 2025
Last updated
4 Jun 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Only results

Publications

  • Bijur PE, Silver W, Gallagher EJ. Reliability of the visual analog scale for measurement of acute pain. Acad Emerg Med. 2001 Dec;8(12):1153-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb01132.x.

    PubMed 11733293
  • Gagliese L, Katz J. Age differences in postoperative pain are scale dependent: a comparison of measures of pain intensity and quality in younger and older surgical patients. Pain. 2003 May;103(1-2):11-20. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3959(02)00327-5.

    PubMed 12749954
  • Sihoe ADL. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery as the gold standard for lung cancer surgery. Respirology. 2020 Nov;25 Suppl 2:49-60. doi: 10.1111/resp.13920. Epub 2020 Jul 30.

    PubMed 32734596
  • Feray S, Lubach J, Joshi GP, Bonnet F, Van de Velde M; PROSPECT Working Group *of the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy. PROSPECT guidelines for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a systematic review and procedure-specific postoperative pain management recommendations. Anaesthesia. 2022 Mar;77(3):311-325. doi: 10.1111/anae.15609. Epub 2021 Nov 5.

    PubMed 34739134

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Bupivacaine, Morphine and Paracetamol in people with Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Lung Adenocarcinoma, run by Hacettepe University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

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 3 inclusion and 8 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Postoperative Pain Scores (VAS) (time frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery). 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 NCT07002788, which also lists 4 linked publications.

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 4 Jun 2025.

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