NCT06315959

Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Chronic Pain After Open Heart Surgery

Bilateral Ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Chronic Pain Following Open Heart Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 71 (actual)
• Sponsor: Ondokuz Mayıs University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of bilateral erector spinae plane (ESP) block application on postoperative chronic pain in patients undergoing on-pump open-heart surgery. At 3 months post-discharge, patients will be contacted by phone to assess their chronic pain status. Pain intensity and status will be evaluated using the Brief Pain Inventory, and the character of pain will be assessed using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) score. Additionally, the patient's anxiety and depression status will be evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Detailed description

Acute or chronic pain following cardiac surgery is a common issue that significantly impacts quality of life. The reported incidence of moderate to severe acute pain post-cardiac surgery varies widely in the literature, ranging from less than 5% to over 80%. Factors contributing to severe postoperative pain after median sternotomy include vasospasm, increased inflammatory response, soft tissue and bone injury during dissection, and chest tube placement. While pain typically decreases after the first 24 hours post-surgery, inadequate pain management can prolong this period. Chronic pain syndrome following sternotomy has been reported in 7% to 66% of patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Initially, neuraxial anesthesia techniques such as thoracic epidural or thoracic paravertebral blocks were recommended for postoperative pain control in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. However, debates exist due to technical and patient-related challenges such as procedural difficulties, coagulation disorders, complete heparinization, hemodynamic instability, and pneumothorax. Fascial plane chest wall blocks involving serratus anterior and erector spinae have gained popularity for managing postoperative pain after minimally invasive cardiac surgery and thoracotomy/sternotomy, especially in patients receiving antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy. An alternative approach, ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB), was introduced by Forero and colleagues in 2016 for treating thoracic neuropathic pain. Inadequate pain control post-surgery can lead to persistent postoperative pain, high opioid consumption, and opioid-related morbidity. Theoretically, in patients receiving an erector spinae plane (ESP) block, the local anesthetic spreads both cranio-caudally and anteriorly through the costotransverse foramina, blocking the ventral/dorsal branches of spinal nerves, dorsal root ganglion, and rami communicantes at multiple levels. In patients undergoing sternotomy for cardiac surgery, bilateral thoracic ESP catheters or a single injection technique have reduced opioid use and pain scores. This study is planned as a prospective, randomized controlled, double-blind, parallel-group trial. Patients will be divided into two groups: ESP Group: General anesthesia + ESP Block + Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Group K: General anesthesia + PCA

Conditions

• Chronic Pain
• Cardiac Surgery
• Post Operative Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Bilateral ultrasound guided erector spinae plane block	Bilateral ultrasound-guided ESP(total of 60 ml, %0.25 bupivacaine) will be performed + IV morphine PCA Multimodal analgesia : Intraoperatively, all patients will receive 0.05 mg/kg (IBW) iv morphine. Thirty minutes before the end of surgery, 1 gram of intravenous paracetamol will be administered. Postoperative analgesia: iv paracetamol 1gr every 8 hours and IV PCA of 0,5mg/ml morphine. In cases where rescue analgesia is required (NRS score ≥4),iv fentanyl 25-50 mcg and/or ibuprofen and/or ketamine 10 mg will be administered. Patients are routinely administered iv dexamethasone 4 mg and IV 8 mg ondansetron 20 minutes before end of surgery for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. Postoperative chronic pain will be assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory(BPI). Anxiety and depression status will be evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The character of pain will be evaluated using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) score.
DRUG	morphine PCA	IV PCA of 0,5mg/ml morphine (the bolus dose is 20 µg/kg, the lock-in time of 6-10 minutes, the 4-hour limit is adjusted to be 80% of the calculated total amount).
OTHER	Control group	Patients in this group will not be performed plane blocks. Multimodal analgesia : Intraoperatively, all patients will receive 0.05 mg/kg (IBW) iv morphine. Thirty minutes before the end of surgery, 1 gram of intravenous paracetamol will be administered. Postoperative analgesia: iv paracetamol 1gr every 8 hours and IV PCA of 0,5mg/ml morphine. In cases where rescue analgesia is required (NRS score ≥4),iv fentanyl 25-50 mcg and/or ibuprofen and/or ketamine 10 mg will be administered. Patients are routinely administered iv dexamethasone 4 mg and IV 8 mg ondansetron 20 minutes before end of surgery for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. Postoperative chronic pain will be assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory(BPI). Anxiety and depression status will be evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) . The character of pain will be evaluated using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) score.
DRUG	morphine PCA	V PCA of 0,5mg/ml morphine (the bolus dose is 20 µg/kg, the lock-in time of 6-10 minutes, the 4-hour limit is adjusted to be 80% of the calculated total amount).

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-01
• Primary completion: 2024-11-01
• Completion: 2025-02-20
• First posted: 2024-03-18
• Last updated: 2025-02-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)