Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Blocks to Treat Postoperative Pain After Open Gynecologic Procedures Via a Low Transverse (Pfannenstiel) Incision

• Status: Recruiting
• Trial end date: 2022-12-01

Summary

Open gynecologic surgery can be very painful. With the goal of minimizing the use of opioids (with undesired side effects and potential for abuse), the investigators often administer a type of peripheral nerve block in which the investigators put local anesthetic-or, numbing medicine-near the nerves that go to the surgical area which helps to numb the area and decrease pain following surgery. These blocks with a single-injection of local anesthetic are called erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks, and they are applied on each side of the body since each injection affects only that one side. However, the numbing medication typically lasts for only 16-20 hours. For other peripheral nerve blocks, this duration can be increased with the insertion of a catheter-a tiny tube smaller than a piece of spaghetti-followed by an infusion of additional local anesthetic. However, the effects of the various peripheral nerve blocks are determined by the anatomy and physiology of the specific peripheral nerve, with an infusion resulting in dramatic benefits for one nerve yet having no effect for another. The potential benefits and risks of adding a catheter and subsequent local anesthetic infusion to a single-injection ESP block remain unknown. The investigatorstherefore propose a randomized, triple-masked, placebo-controlled, split-body clinical trial to determine the potential benefits and risks of adding the infusion to single-injection ESP blocks.

• Phase: Phase 4

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of California, San Diego
• Treatments: Bupivacaine