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WithdrawnNCT03393117Updated Jul 22, 2020

Bupivacaine Versus Liposomal Bupivacaine For Breast Pain Management After Breast Recontruction

A Phase 2 interventional study of Liposomal Bupivacaine and Bupivacaine in Breast Cancer, sponsored by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Withdrawn. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-07-22.

Sponsored by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center · Phase 2, Interventional, and Supportive care

Why this study was withdrawn
No accrual
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 73 studies in Breast Neoplasms by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center — 7 open to participants now, 10 under way, none of them phase 3. Breast Neoplasms · Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Enrollment
45th of 54
0 · median 22
Started
2018
with 2 others
Phase 2
15 of 73
1 open now
Registered
55th of 73
by date

Among the 73 studies in Breast Neoplasms by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, this one is the 45th largest by enrollment of the 54 interventional ones, is one of 3 that started in 2018, is one of 15 in phase 2, and was the 55th registered.

By phase

73 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

No phase29 · 5 open
Phase 2this study15 · 1 open
Observational12 · 0 open
Phase 110 · 0 open
Other kind6 · 1 open
Phase 31 · 0 open

By the year they started

First in 1997; this study’s year is marked. 3 started in 2018.

Size and results

Median enrollment 22 across the 54 interventional studies, 45 across the 18 observational. Of the 49 that completed or were terminated, 9 (18%) have results posted.

Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 73 studies in Breast Neoplasms by Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the most effective way to control post-operative breast pain for patients undergoing a unilateral, immediate breast reconstruction.

Read the detailed description

This is a randomized controlled study to compare the effectiveness of a breast nerve block performed with bupivacaine as compared to liposomal bupivacaine in providing postsurgical analgesia in patients undergoing unilateral abdominally-based breast reconstruction at time of mastectomy.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Compare the amount of postoperative narcotic use in patients receiving a bupivacaine or liposomal bupivacaine pectoralis and serratus anterior nerve block. Compare these groups to a retrospective control cohort who received local anesthetic infusion but did not receive any nerve block.
  2. Examine the incidence of narcotic-related side effects in the experimental groups by documenting incidents of nausea and vomiting, time to first ambulation, liquid and solid oral intake.
  3. Survey patient satisfaction with pain management using a visual analog scale during their hospital stay.
03

Conditions studied

  • Breast Cancer

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Keywords

  • Reconstruction
  • Bupivacaine
  • Liposomal Bupivacaine
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients scheduled to have a unilateral, immediate breast reconstruction

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant
  • Concurrent or recent medical condition that could interfere with study participation including:

    • Hepatitis
    • Alcohol/substance abuse
    • Uncontrolled psychiatric disorders
    • Known allergy
    • to amide-type local anesthetics, opioids, or propofol.
  • Body weight of less than 50 kg
  • Participated in another study involving an medication within the prior 30 days
  • Taking analgesics (i.e., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, or opioids), antidepressants, or within the 3 days before surgery.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Liposomal Bupivacaine + Bupivacaine

    This group will receive a long-acting pain medicine, Liposomal Bupivacaine, injected into the breast muscles during surgery. All patients will receive patient-controlled analgesia pump and oral narcotics as indicated post surgery.

    Drug: Liposomal Bupivacaine · Drug: Bupivacaine · Drug: Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pump · Drug: Oral Narcotic

  • Active comparator
    Bupivacaine

    This group will receive the same pain medication, Bupivacaine, but in the standard formulation, injected into the breast muscles during surgery. All patients will receive patient-controlled analgesia pump and oral narcotics as indicated post surgery.

    Drug: Bupivacaine · Drug: Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pump · Drug: Oral Narcotic

Interventions

  • 20mL vial of Liposomal Bupivacaine (266 mg). The infiltration technique for Liposomal Bupivacaine will be 80mL injected into either hemi-abdomen as a transversus abdominous plane (TAP) block via ultrasound guidance. The other 80mL will be utilized in the operative breast for the field blocks (20mL), pectoralis 1 (20mL), pectoralis 2 (20mL) and serratus anterior (20mL) blocks.

    Also known as: Exparel

  • 20mL vial of 0.25% Bupivacaine. The field blocks (20mL), pectoralis 1 (20mL), pectoralis 2 (20mL) and serratus anterior (20mL) blocks will be performed with 0.25% Bupivacaine.

    Also known as: Sensorcaine-Methyl Paraben Free (MPF) Spinal, Sensorcaine-MPF, Sensorcaine, ReadySharp Bupivacaine, P-Care M, Marcaine Spinal, Marcaine Preservative Free, Marcaine, Bupivacaine Spinal

  • DrugPatient-Controlled Analgesia Pump

    Drug pages: Narcotics · Opioids

    The patient-controlled anesthesia will be filled with morphine or hydromorphone. Pumps will be programmed be on demand only with no basal rate.

    Also known as: intravenous narcotic

  • DrugOral Narcotic

    Drug pages: Narcotics · Opioids

    Oral narcotics will be offered when the patient's diet is advanced as tolerated, typically post-operative day 1.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. total post-operative narcotic utilization

    post-operative pain as measured by total post-operative narcotic utilization standardized to milligrams of morphine.

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

Secondary outcomes

  1. at rest pain score on visual analog scale

    0-100 score of self-reported pain

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  2. coughing pain score on visual analog scale

    0-100 score of self-reported pain

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  3. number of incidents of nausea reported by patient

    self-report of nausea

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  4. number of incidents of vomiting reported by patient

    number of times a patient vomits

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  5. time to first ambulation

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  6. time to first liquid intake

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

  7. time to first solid intake

    Time frame: Up to 72 hours post-operative

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 22, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03393117
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 8, 2018
Start date
Mar 30, 2018
Primary completion
Jul 1, 2020 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 1, 2020 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 22, 2020

Study contacts

Risal Djohan, MD
principal investigator · Cleveland Clinic, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is withdrawn, as verified in Jul 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

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Studies of the drug tested here: Liposomal Bupivacaine

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