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WithdrawnNCT05972122Updated Aug 9, 2024

Serratus Posterior Superior Interfascial Plane Block for Thoracoscopic Surgery

An interventional study of Analgesia management; group S and C in Lung Diseases, sponsored by Medipol University. Withdrawn at 1 site in Turkey. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-08-09.

Sponsored by Medipol University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
No participants enrolled
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Regional techniques can be used for postoperative pain control following VATS. Ultrasound (US) guided serratus posterior superior block (SPSPB) is a new interfacial plane block defined by Tulgar et al in 2023. It is based on injection on the serratus posterior superior muscle at the level of the 2nd or 3rd rib. This block provides analgesia in conditions such as interscapular pain, chronic myofascial pain syndromes, scapulocostal syndrome, and shoulder pain. The SPS muscle is located at the C7-T2 level. It attaches to the lateral edges of the second and fifth ribs. It is innervated by the lower cervical and upper intercostal nerves. With the SPS block, these nerves are blocked and analgesia is provided.

Read the detailed description

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has started to be considered the standard surgical procedure for lung surgery in recent years. The advantages of VATS compared to open thoracotomy are rapid recovery, shorter hospital stays, and low risk of complications. Although it is a less painful surgical procedure compared to thoracotomy, severe acute postoperative pain can be observed especially in the first hours after VATS. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA), which is the gold standard for post-thoracotomy analgesia, is used in analgesia after VATS. However, due to the difference in surgical technique and trauma between open surgery and VATS, what should be the gold standard for analgesia after VATS is a matter of debate. It is supported that less invasive analgesic techniques should be applied for minimally invasive surgical procedures, especially due to the difficulty of applying TEA and its side-effect profile. Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is considered the first-line regional technique for VATS surgery. However, it is difficult to apply due to its anatomical proximity to important structures such as the pleura and central neuraxial system, and it may cause complications such as pneumothorax and vascular injury. Analgesia management is very important in these patients, as insufficient analgesia in the postoperative period may cause pulmonary complications such as atelectasis, pneumonia, and increased oxygen consumption.

Ultrasound (US) guided serratus posterior superior block (SPSPB) is a new interfacial plane block defined by Tulgar et al in 2023. It is based on injection on the serratus posterior superior muscle at the level of the 2nd or 3rd rib. This block provides analgesia in conditions such as interscapular pain, chronic myofascial pain syndromes, scapulocostal syndrome, and shoulder pain. The SPS muscle is located at the C7-T2 level. It attaches to the lateral edges of the second and fifth ribs. It is innervated by the lower cervical and upper intercostal nerves. With the SPS block, these nerves are blocked and analgesia is provided.

In the cadaveric study of Tulgar et al., it was determined that the spread of serratus posterior superior interfacial plane block; 7-10 intercostal levels on the left side only in the superficial fascia of the trapezius muscle. Spread dye was observed at intercostal levels, absent on the right. There was prominent staining on both sides of the deep trapezius muscle. Both the surface and skin of the rhomboid major were stained, while the rhomboid minor was only stained in the skin. SPSP block will provide successful analgesia in procedures involving the thoracic region such as chronic myofascial pain, breast surgery, thoracic surgery, and shoulder surgery. There is no randomized study in the literature evaluating the effectiveness of SPSP block for postoperative analgesia management after VATS.

In this study, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of US-guided SPSP block for postoperative analgesia management after VATS. Our primary aim is to compare postoperative opioid consumption, our secondary aim is to evaluate postoperative pain scores (NRS), opioid-related side effects (allergic reaction, nausea, vomiting), and dermatome levels.

02

Conditions studied

  • Lung Diseases

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Keywords

  • VATS
  • Postoperative pain management
  • Serratus Posterior Superior Interfascial Plane Block
03

In context

Lung Diseases

3,303 studies on the registry are indexed under Lung Diseases; 355 are open to participants now.

Browse Lung Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Medipol University is the lead sponsor of 311 studies on the registry; 86 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification I-III
  • Scheduled for VATS under general anesthesia

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • history of bleeding diathesis,
  • receiving anticoagulant treatment,
  • known local anesthetics and opioid allergy,
  • infection of the skin at the site of the needle puncture,
  • pregnancy or lactation,
  • patients who do not accept the procedure
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Placebo comparator
    Group S = SPSIPB group

    A high-frequency linear US probe (11-12 MHz, Vivid Q) will be covered with a sterile sheath, and an 80 mm block needle (Braun 360°) will be used. The procedure will be performed with the patient in the lateral decubitus position. After the scapula is shifted slightly laterally, the US probe is placed sagittal at the upper corner of the spina scapula, and the serratus posterior superior muscle is visualized with the third rib. The in-plane technique will be used. The block needle will be advanced in the craniocaudal direction to enter between the serratus posterior superior and the third rib. The block location will be confirmed by injecting 5 ml of saline between the rib and the muscle. After the block location is confirmed, 30 ml of 0.25% concentration bupivacaine will be used.

    Drug: Analgesia management; group S and C

  • Other
    Group C = Control group

    The intercostal infiltration with 30 ml of 0.25% concentration of bupivacaine will be performed by the surgical team.

    Drug: Analgesia management; group S and C

Interventions

  • DrugAnalgesia management; group S and C

    Patients will be administered ibuprofen 400 mgr IV every 8 hours in the postoperative period. A patient-controlled device prepared with 10 mcg/ ml fentanyl will be attached to all patients with a protocol including 10 mcg bolus without infusion dose, 10 min lockout time, and 4-hour limit. If the NRS score is ≥ 4, 0.5 mg kg-1 iv meperidine will be administered as a rescue analgesic. Postoperative patient evaluation will be performed by an anesthesiologist blinded to the procedure.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Opioid consumption (Fentanyl PCA)

    The primary aim is to compare postoperative opioid consumption from the PCA device.

    Time frame: Changes from baseline opioid consumption at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pain scores (Numerical rating scale-NRS)

    The secondary aim is to compare NRS at the postoperative 24 h. Postoperative pain assessment will be performed using the NRS (0 = no pain, 10 = the most severe pain felt). The NRS scores will be recorded

    Time frame: Changes from baseline pain scores at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours

  2. Need for rescue analgesia (meperidine)

    The secondary aim is to compare rescue analgesia used in the postoperative 24 h.

    Time frame: Postoperative 24 hours period

  3. Adverse events

    The secondary aim is to compare the adverse events (nausea, vomiting, itching) related to opioid use.

    Time frame: Postoperative 24 hours period

Other outcomes

  1. Dermatomal analyses

    The secondary aim is to evaluate the dermatomal coverage of SPSIPB in Group S. The dermatomal coverage will be evaluated with a pinprick test.

    Time frame: Postoperative 1st hour

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Istanbul Medipol University Hospital
    Istanbul, Bagcilar 34070, Turkey
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Tulgar S, Ciftci B, Ahiskalioglu A, Bilal B, Sakul BU, Korkmaz AO, Bozkurt NN, De Cassai A, Torres AJ, Elsharkawy H, Alici HA. Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block: A Technical Report on the Description of a Novel Periparavertebral Block for Thoracic Pain. Cureus. 2023 Feb 3;15(2):e34582. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34582. eCollection 2023 Feb. PubMed 36883093 ↗
  • Ciftci B, Alver S, Ahiskalioglu A, Bilal B, Tulgar S. Serratus posterior superior intercostal plane block for breast surgery: a report of three cases, novel block and new indication. Minerva Anestesiol. 2023 Nov;89(11):1054-1056. doi: 10.23736/S0375-9393.23.17432-3. Epub 2023 Jun 1. No abstract available. PubMed 37272274 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — We will not plan to share IPD

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 9, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05972122
Lead sponsor
Medipol University
Responsible party
Bahadir Ciftci (Primary researcher, Medipol University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 2, 2023
Start date
Aug 9, 2023
Primary completion
Jun 20, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 9, 2024

Oversight

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

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This study is withdrawn, as verified in Aug 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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