NCT06838026

Intercostal Nerve Block for Pain Management After Uniportal Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgeries

Internal, External Intercostal Nerve Block and Intercostal Catheter for Pain Management After Uniportal VATS: A Clinical Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Al-Quds University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the safety and effectiveness of the three intercostal nerve blocks used in pain management in uniportal (one port) thoracoscopic surgeries: internal intercostal nerve blocks (ICNB), external ICNB, and Intercostal catheters. Participants will be randomly assigned to three groups: * First group will undergo internal intercostal nerve block * Second group will be given external intercostal nerve block * Third group will have an intercostal catheter Researchers will compare the three groups to see their impact on post-operative pain management in uniportal VATS.

Detailed description

The main questions this clinical trial aims to answer are: 1. To study post-VATS complications, such as: postoperative air leak, post-operative pain, hypoxemia, atelectasis, bleeding, wound infection, pneumonia, Deep Vein Thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and their association with the different approaches of ICNBs. 2. To address the cost-effectiveness of the intercostal nerve block approaches. 3. To study the participants' level of satisfaction after VATS following each procedure of ICNB. 4. To address the relationships between the intercostal nerve block approaches and participants' characteristics such as age, gender, BMI, medical and surgical history, smoking, and alcohol history. This study is a randomized controlled trial that will take place at Al-Ahli Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital. The trial will involve 90 participants, who will be randomly assigned to three groups. Of these, group 1 will include 30 participants who'll receive an internal intercostal nerve block, group 2: 30 participants will receive an external intercostal block, and group 3 are the 30 participants who will have an intercostal catheter inserted. Data will be collected from the participants' themselves through a questionnaire before the surgery. The participants will be followed up after the surgery (3, 6, 24 hours post-operatively) in order to obtain the numerical rating scale. A written informed consent will be sought. Data Analysis will be done through International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows Version 16.

Conditions

• Thoracic
• Pain, Postoperative
• Analgesia
• Satisfaction, Patient

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	External Intercostal Nerve Block	External ICNB: A mixture of analgesics will be given through a needle inserted in the intercostal space from outside the chest wall.
OTHER	Internal Intercostal Nerve Block	Internal ICNB: A mixture of analgesics will be given through a needle inserted in the intercostal space inside the chest wall under direct thoracoscopic vision.
OTHER	Intercostal Catheter	Intercostal Catheter: it will be put 1-2 intercostal spaces above the VATS incision, and the participant will receive the 15 cc of the previously mentioned mixture every 8 hours for two to three days.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-05-05
• Primary completion: 2026-05-05
• Completion: 2026-12-05
• First posted: 2025-02-20
• Last updated: 2025-04-01

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Palestinian Territories