ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03428633Updated Oct 13, 2023

Thoracic Paravertebral Blocks in Open Nephrectomy

A Phase 2 interventional study of Ropivacaine and Morphine in Nephrectomy and Analgesia, sponsored by Asklepieion Voulas General Hospital. Completed at 1 site in Greece. Open to participants aged 14 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-10-13.

Sponsored by Asklepieion Voulas General Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
14 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

60 patients ASA I-III, undergoing open nephrectomy will be randomly assigned into one of two groups, namely group A (n=30), where a thoracic paravertebral block will be performed preoperatively and a paravertebral catheter for continuous and patient controlled bolus local anesthetic (ropivacaine) doses will be inserted and group B (n=30) where morphine IV will be administered at the beginning and the end of operation and postoperatively through patient controlled IV doses. NRS scores in static and dynamic conditions, complications, patient satisfaction, oxidative stress (through lactic acid, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde) and NGAL pre- and postoperatively, will be recorded.

02

Conditions studied

  • Nephrectomy
  • Analgesia
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Asklepieion Voulas General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 13 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
14 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
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

  • Physical status according to (ASA) I-III
  • Patients scheduled for open nephrectomy

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous operation on same kidney
  • of paravertebral block or any of the agents used in the protocol
  • above 32
  • Any concurrent not cured
  • Serious psychiatric, mental and cognitive disorders
  • Block failure
  • Chronic pain
  • Severe kidney disfunction
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

ASA physical status

The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.

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.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
60 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Group A

    Thoracic paravertebral block using ropivacaine

    Drug: Ropivacaine

  • Active comparator
    Group B

    Morphine IV

    Drug: Morphine

Interventions

  • Paravertebral block using ropivacaine preoperatively and postoperatively

  • Morphine intraoperatively and postoperatively

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Postoperative pain

    Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores (Range 0-10, 0=no pain, 10=the worse pain ever)

    Time frame: 48 hours

  2. Oxidative stress - lactic acid (mmol/L)

    Time frame: 24 hours

  3. Oxidative stress - superoxide dismutase (units/ml)

    Time frame: 24 hours

  4. Oxidative stress - malondialdehyde (nmol/mg protein)

    Time frame: 24 hours

  5. Oxidative stress - neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) (ng/ml)

    Time frame: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. Complications

    Time frame: 48 hours

  2. Patient satisfaction

    Patients asked whether they would choose the same anaesthetic management in a future operation: Yes/No

    Time frame: 48 hours

  3. Patient mobilization

    Patient reporting time of first standing to the side of the bed

    Time frame: 7 days

  4. Intestinal function

    Time of first passing of rectal gas, reported by the patient

    Time frame: 7 days

  5. Chronic pain

    Using of Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) Grade 0: No pain in prior 6 months Grade 1: Low Intensity - Low Disability Grade II: High Intensity Characteristic Pain Intensity - Low Disability Grade III: High Disability - Moderately Limiting Grade IV: High Disability - Severely Limiting

    Time frame: 6 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Asklepieion Hospital of Voula
    Athens, 16673, Greece
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 13, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03428633
Lead sponsor
Asklepieion Voulas General Hospital
Collaborators
Michail Tsagkaris, Chryssoula Staikou, Ioannis Karavokyros
Responsible party
Alexandros Makris (Consultant Anaesthesiologist, Asklepieion Voulas General Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 9, 2018
Start date
Mar 9, 2018
Primary completion
Feb 1, 2021
Completion
Feb 1, 2023
Last update
Oct 13, 2023

Oversight

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

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This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Ropivacaine · Morphine

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