CClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT06812364ESPBbariatricsUpdated Feb 6, 2025

Bilateral Thorathic Erector Spinae Plane Block in Laparoscopic Bariatic Surgeries

An observational study in Postoperative Pain Relief, sponsored by Cairo University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-02-06.

Sponsored by Cairo University · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Sep 2025, 1 year ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
58
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The study is to evaluate effectiveness of one-level versus two-level thoracic ESP block on intraoperative and postoperative analgesia in bariatric surgeries and to compare total opioid consumption of both groups.

Read the detailed description

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is steadily increasing. The epidemic of overweight and obesity presents a major challenge to chronic disease prevention and health across the life course around the world.

Bariatric surgery has proved to be an efficient intervention in the management of obesity. As a result, the number of post-bariatric surgery patients in the population is growing .

Postoperative pain is categorized into acute pain which occur immediately after surgery (up to 7 days) and chronic pain which lasts more than 3 months after the injury . Laparoscopic bariatric surgery often presents significant pain, ranging from moderate to severe, particularly in the immediate time following the operation, it is estimated that 75% of patients experience moderate pain post laparoscopic bariatric surgeries .

Postoperative pain is divided into four types according to cause, Nociceptive Pain is the signal of tissue irritation, impending injury, or actual injury. Neuropathic Pain is the result of the nervous system injury or malfunction, either in the peripheral or in the central nervous system, Psychogenic Pain due to the psychological factors leading to an exaggerated or histrionic presentation of the pain problem, Mixed Category Pain is caused by a complex mixture of nociceptive and neuropathic factors .

Due to the higher risk of respiratory depression, administering opioids to morbidly obese individuals might provide significant challenges when it comes to delivering pain relief .

Acetaminophen is widely considered the cornerstone of perioperative analgesia in the general surgical population.it has been supported by studies and experience in bariatric centers .

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are components of foundational analgesia for nociceptive pain, which contribute to additional excellent opioid-sparing analgesia. The well-known perioperative concerns with NSAIDs (nephrotoxicity, gastrointestinal (GI) ulceration, and increased bleeding risk) are less likely with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors .

Perioperative tramadol side effects in the bariatric surgical population include increased postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), serotonin syndrome-inducing interactions (with anti-depressants), and more non-specific intolerance. Despite these, tramadol has been found useful in postoperative pain management after bariatric surgery.

The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a kind of paraspinal fascial plane block, which was initially described by Forero et al., (2016). The administration of local anesthetic (LA) occurs in the space between the thoracic transverse processes and the erector spinae muscle. This technique blocks the dorsal and ventral rami of the thoracic and abdominal spinal nerves, resulting in both somatic and visceral sensory blockade. This can potentially provide effective pain relief after abdominal surgery.

ESPB is effective, easy to perform, and can be performed in short time.(13) BUT there is no clear consensus in the studies conducted to determine the optimal level that can be achieved with volume expansion.

Previous reports have mentioned the analgesic effectiveness of one level ESPB in bariatric surgery, but this is the first randomized clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of two-level bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block compared to one level in bariatric surgeries.

02

Conditions studied

  • Postoperative Pain Relief

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • one level ESPB
  • two level ESPB
  • bariatric surgery
03

In context

Pain, Postoperative

5,093 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Postoperative; 1,140 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 58 is below the median of 102 across 608 observational studies indexed under Pain, Postoperative.

Browse Pain, Postoperative studies →

Lead sponsor

Cairo University is the lead sponsor of 4,780 studies on the registry; 1,427 are open to participants now.

Of its 36 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (14%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

included Patient age will range 18 to 60 years, Body mass index(BMI) ≥ 35 - 50 kg/m2, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classes II to III, scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery i.e. sleeve gastrectomy and/or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgeries, with normal coagulation profile, npt allergic to amide

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient age ranges 18 to 60 years old
  • Obese patients ; Body mass index(BMI) ≥ 35 - 50 kg/m2
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (13) physical status classes II to III
  • Patients scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery i.e. sleeve gastrectomy and/or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgeries

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

    • Refusal of regional block

      • Patients with neurological, psychological disorders or those lacking cooperation.
      • Patients scheduled for concomitant laparoscopic cholecystectomy or paraumbilical hernia repair or those with history of previous bariatric surgery or obstructive sleep apnea.
      • Patients with anatomic abnormalities at site of injection, skin lesions or wounds at site of proposed needle insertion.
      • Patients with bleeding disorders defined as (INR >1.4) and/ or (platelet count \<100,000/µL)
      • Patients with hepatic disease e.g. liver cell failure or hepatic malignancy or hepatic enlargement.
      • Patients who are allergic to amide local anesthetics
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
58 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • One level ESPB

    Ultrasound will be sagittal placed against the target vertebral level T7 vertebrae in the lateral or sitting position and moved in approximately 3-cm lateral to the spinous process. The Erector Spinae muscle and transverse process will be then identified, and a blunted tip ,100mm, 20-gauge, short bevel needle (Pajunk Sonoplex, Geisingen, Germany) will be advanced, using the in-plane approach, in caudal -to- cephalad direction, through the inter fascial plane between the Erector Spinae and the underlying transverse process under strict aseptic precautions until the tip is deep to erector spinae muscle, as evidenced by visible hydro-dissection below the muscle plane, and on injection of 3 ml normal saline to confirm the correct needle tip position. The block will be performed bilaterally by injecting 60 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine (30mL into each side) into the fascial plane between the deep surface of the Erector Spinae muscle and the bilateral transverse processes of the T7 vertebrae

    Procedure: one level ESPB

  • two level ESPB

    The target vertebral levels are T5 transverse process (at the level of Sternal Angle, above T7 by tow vertebra) and T10 transverse process (at the level of Xiphisternal Junction, below T7 by 3 vertebrae). The block will be performed bilaterally by injecting 60mL of 0.25% bupivacaine (15mL into each of four site) into the fascial plane between the deep surface of the Erector Spinae muscle and the bilateral transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae 5 and 10 (at the most lateral part of the transverse process) in the same technique

    Procedure: two level ESPB

Interventions

  • Procedureone level ESPB

    Ultrasound will be sagittal placed against the target vertebral level T7 vertebrae in the lateral or sitting position and moved in approximately 3-cm lateral to the spinous process. The Erector Spinae muscle and transverse process will be then identified, and a blunted tip ,100mm, 20-gauge, short bevel needle (Pajunk Sonoplex, Geisingen, Germany) will be advanced, using the in-plane approach, in caudal -to- cephalad direction, through the inter fascial plane between the Erector Spinae and the underlying transverse process under strict aseptic precautions until the tip is deep to erector spinae muscle, as evidenced by visible hydro-dissection below the muscle plane, and on injection of 3 ml normal saline to confirm the correct needle tip position. The block will be performed bilaterally by injecting 60 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine (30mL into each side) into the fascial plane between the deep surface of the Erector Spinae muscle and the bilateral transverse processes of the T7 vertebrae

  • Proceduretwo level ESPB

    The target vertebral levels are T5 transverse process (at the level of Sternal Angle, above T7 by tow vertebra)(19) and T10 transverse process (at the level of Xiphisternal Junction, below T7 by 3 vertebrae). The block will be performed bilaterally by injecting 60mL of 0.25% bupivacaine (15mL into each of four site) into the fascial plane between the deep surface of the Erector Spinae muscle and the bilateral transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae 5 and 10 (at the most lateral part of the transverse process) in the same technique.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. • Comparison of mean visual analog scale scores at 24 hours postoperative between study groups

    Time frame: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time for first rescue analgesia in both groups

    Time frame: 24 hours

  2. b) Total opioid consumption in both groups in 24hr postoperative

    Time frame: 24 hours

  3. Failure rate in performing the block

    Time frame: 24 hours

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Faculty of Medecine Cairo Uneversity
    Cairo, Egypt
    • kasr alainy, faculty of medecine · Contact
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 Feb 6, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06812364
Lead sponsor
Cairo University
Responsible party
Belal Galal Mostafa Mohammed Khater (Assistant lecturer, Cairo University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 6, 2025
Start date
Mar 1, 2025 (estimated)
Primary completion
Sep 20, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 20, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 6, 2025

Study contacts

belal galal mostafa mohammed khater, dr
Contact
bilal.j.khater@students.kasralainy.edu.eg
00201006540407
emad mohamed ahmed abdelhafez, lecturer
Contact
dr_emad_abady@yahoo.com
00201096324748

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Feb 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion